


Changing Tides: A Splatoon Story

by CapNKraken



Series: Splatoon Series [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Family, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-03-09 21:18:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 103,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18925216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapNKraken/pseuds/CapNKraken
Summary: In retelling of Splatoon 2's main story, that diverts from the game's normal formula and takes a more story-based approach, pop idol Callie goes missing! Instead of the sassy Marie and the heroic Agent 4, her fate is left up to Yulia Tentatek, a young Inkling who really just wants to find a bigger purpose for her life. However...Will this all evolve into a much bigger plan? From the surface, Yulia's quiet supporters are the iconic Pearl and Marina, along with Lynn, a somewhat strange and lovestruck Salmonid girl who is just trying to figure out who she is. In the dystopian Octo Canyon, Yulia will come across many different Octarians with different points of view. Will Yulia be able to overcome? What's up Lynn's sleeve? Read to find out!





	1. Chapter 1

_ “We interrupt this Squaps game to bring you important news!” _

__ “WHAT?!” shouted the angry blue Inkling who was enjoying the hockey game. “Kelpson was about to shoot!”

_ “Well? Go ahead and tell them, Marina!” _

__ _ “I can’t, Pearl… It’s too devastating. My stomach is in knots.” _

__ _ “I don’t want to tell them either!” _

__ _ “You’re the elder here! You should tell them!” _

__ A muffled voice told the two women that they needed to hurry up before people started calling in. Finally, Marina sighed, a sad look on her face as she would be the one to deliver the news.

_ “Popular pop idol and Squid Sisters member, Callie, has gone missing! Several sources caught her wandering about, looking as if she was conflicted with something, noting that she was talking to herself. She hasn’t been seen in about seven days. Has she wandered off? Has something suspicious happened to her? Could she be….Ugh!”  _ Marina suddenly cried, putting her hand over the lens of the camera to block it. Within seconds, the interruption ended and the Inkling saw Kelpson being embraced and high-fived by his teammates. 

The Inkling tried to take her mind off of what happened in the interruption and tried to tell herself that Marina just ate some bad tuna. As much as she tried to watch the rest of the game, the thought of the interruption reverberated in her mind. Even after her beloved team won, she wasn’t excited. She was worried about her friend.

She sat idle for a few minutes before hearing a pounding on her door. There were only two people who could possibly knock that loud. The first was Pearl, who overdid just about everything under the sun. The second was her boss, Mr. Grizz, who may need her to go on some private Salmon Runs with him. Bracing herself, the Inkling crept toward the door. If it was Pearl, she’d be screaming. If it was Mr. Grizz… he’d also be screaming. That man talks incredibly loud.

Yanking the door of her small cabin open, the girl saw that she was right about Pearl being there, but another friend of hers, Lynn, was also there. Both of them looked nervous. 

“Yo, Yuls! Did you see what happened with Marina?!” Pearl asked, her eyes still wide. “Dude, that’s so unlike her! Usually she’s so chill!”

“I was just with her before the interruption. Afterwards, I saw her running toward the forest. Pearl and I were going to see if she’s okay. Would you like to go with us, Yulia?” Lynn asked.

Without hesitating, Yulia strapped on her shoes, grabbed her hat, and bounded out the door with them. Thus, there went our merry gang. The reader most likely already knows of Pearl, the famous yet somewhat disliked Off The Hook member, but the other two are surely obscure, so I shall explain them.

Our hockey-loving Inkling, miss Yulia Tentatek, is, honestly, a bit of a hot mess. Having been practically evicted from her home after a prolonged disappearance from her parents, the sixteen-year-old was graciously allowed to live in the smallest cabin of Camp Triggerfish, a campsite in which Pearl’s parents-her assumed legal guardians until she either becomes an adult or her parents return- let her live in.

Yulia, though still a full-blooded Inkling, came from two very different parents. Her father, a Mr. Shaquarius Tentatek, CEO of their company (conveniently just called “Tentatek”) was a firefly Inkling while her mother, a Mrs. Tatiana Tentatek, was a bigfin reef Inkling that migrated from far-off seas and was the company’s head designer. Yulia was the only spawn of these two, as, being an incredibly troubled child, her parents had politely come to the decision that they absolutely could not handle any more youngins. 

Because of her interesting genealogy, Yulia wasn’t just your average Inkling. While she inherited most of her father’s looks, she inherited a lot from her mother. She inherited her mother’s accent, her face shape, her love for the simple things in life, and her strong personality. Her parents always taught her to be humble and generous, despite their family owning much and having immense wealth.

Yulia was short, thin, and pale, just like her father. She was usually well dressed in delicate, doll-like dresses, but today was one of her casual days, so she sported a Squaps jersey, her favorite pair of sweats, some sandals, and her favorite cap, the Jellyvader cap. Did she look trashy? A little, but she was comfortable. Yulia had green eyes, once again inherited from her father. Her mid-back length tentacles, which were straight yet much larger than the average Inkling, were a midnight blue, mixed from her father’s natural navy and her mother’s natural black. Her fringe wasn’t straight nor sideswept, instead it was more of a heart shape.

Yulia has one very notable feature, however. The reader may have noticed that I mentioned that Yulia’s father was a firefly Inkling. Firefly Inklings have a special ability that the average Inkling doesn’t, and Yulia inherited this from her father. You see, firefly Inklings, descendants of our firefly squid, are able to glow due to bioluminescent glow-spots on their bodies and tentacles. These glow-spots masquerade themselves as freckles, and Yulia had a ton of them. Her entire body and bottoms of her tentacles were absolutely covered in them. At night, she lit up like a Christmas tree. It embarrassed her, but her friends thought it was adorable.

Yulia’s personality had admittedly changed a bit after her parents left. Before, she was a lofty, lifted spirit who adored being in the company of others and would easily talk about the Inkopolis Squaps for hours on end. After this, however, she seemed to become more reserved. She was still very loving, but she often retired to her cabin early and had trouble talking to people sometimes. She spent a ton of time working, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. She made very little money, sometimes not being able to buy herself food. Her mother’s bold personality stood out here. Yulia refused to worry about tomorrow and was willing to take any necessary hits. She refused food and money from Pearl’s family. She wanted to show that she could be independent.

Yulia’s job was at Grizzco, a small organization run by Mr. Grizz, a Salmonling (Salmonid who can assume a human form)  man who had apparently “rebelled against the race” and was trying to collect the Golden Eggs from them to find a safe way to power Inkopolis. He claimed that the Golden Eggs were of little value to the Salmonids. Yulia was a top star at the company, having collected an amazing amount of Golden Eggs for her boss, and was employee of the month every month. She even adopted a baby Salmonid, which she named Pooky, to raise to do Salmon Runs with her. Despite performing well, however, she was paid very poorly.

With Yulia out of the way, we must go onto the second young lady in the party, Lynn. Lynn was a year older than Yulia, at 17. She would pretty much be considered Marina’s “BFF”. The two had met four years prior to this when Marina briefly went into Inkopolis to find weapons for their leader. Whenever Marina escaped the valley for good, they immediately continued their friendship, becoming closer and closer with every passing day. Nothing was hidden between those two. Whenever Marina wasn’t with Pearl, she was with Lynn. If there were other friends, Lynn was there, too. They were nearly inseparable.

Mr. Grizz wasn’t the only Salmonling in town. Lynn was a full-blood Salmonling and was proud to be. Whenever she was a toddler, at around four, Lynn’s mother had gotten incredibly sick, not knowing if she would be able to care for her daughter and had decided to drop her off with her father, who had decided to run away to the city as soon as he had learned that she was pregnant. Lynn’s father honestly didn’t take very good care of her...but that’s for later. Salmonlings are very independent creatures, and with the help of a few Inkling families who noticed that she was living on her own, Lynn turned out just fine.

Were Salmonlings in themselves rare? Salmonlings had very low fertility rates, so yes. Was one living a normal life in Inkopolis and not living on the tropical archipelago the Salmonlings called their home rare? Absolutely. In fact, Lynn was the only Salmonling that lived in the city, not counting Mr. Grizz, whose living situation is honestly unknown.. Lynn grew up learning that her mother died, and her father called her stupid if she questioned it. If only the poor darling knew that her mother watched her grow up, sobbing as she wished that she could have given her child the loving life that she had desired for her.

If one thought that little Yulia had a bold personality, Lynn’s was off the charts. She wasn’t mean, but whenever she wanted something, she was determined to get it at all costs. Lynn would low-key be considered a “beach bum” or a “hippie” in our terms because of her fashion sense, love for reggae music, and frequent hours spent at the beach, but she was also a loyal friend who was chock full of chuckles, as evident by the times that she and Marina had spent laughing their heads off. Was her father mean? Kinda. But Lynn showed the personality of her birth mother. She was just a fun person to be around. 

As for looks, Lynn very much resembled her mother. Unlike her skinny, sickly mother, however, Lynn was pretty tall and curvy. Not Marina levels, but she wasn’t a stick figure like Yulia. Her skin was a sandy beige color, though it still had the Salmonling characteristic of having gray undertones. Her hair, as Salmonlings obviously had no tentacles, was a medium purple, cut slightly above her shoulders, was very thick, and was always pulled in a high, tight ponytail. Instead of a ponytail holder, she used a piece of kelp that she found on the beach. She had bright red eyes, five triangular markings under each eye, a larger nose compared to Yulia’s button nose, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Her ears had one piercing per, and she wore small, silver hoops. She had vibrant red gills on her neck, and dawned fins of the same color on her forearms and calves. Her fingers had a slight webbing to them and ended in sharp, claw-like nails. She dressed very casually, wearing some tinted shades, which she wore upon her head whenever they weren’t needed, a loose-fitting shark tooth necklace, which was a sign of maturity in her culture,a tie-dye tee shirt, and shorts. As of Salmonling tradition, she didn’t wear shoes. Ever. Both of her wrists sported rubber bracelets.

While Lynn obviously didn’t look like your average Joe off the street, she also did have some defining features that were common for her species. First off, she couldn’t participate in turf wars because of her ink. It was the unique Salmonid green that all Inklings who have done a Salmon Run shudder thinking about... especially considering that it’s toxic. Because this ink was unable to be replicated by Inklings, even with their technology, Lynn just decided to give it up altogether, though she still did enjoy watching her friends do it. Secondly, unlike the Inklings, who sank like rocks in water, Lynn was an excellent swimmer and had the natural Salmonid ability of breathing underwater. She adored the beach and ocean and even loved swimming in pools. One of her favorite things to do was scare the living daylights out of Inklings by suddenly jumping in the water, then having a good laugh with them when they realized that she could swim.

As mentioned, Lynn was also pretty bold, but loved to have a good laugh. She’s incredibly determined yet also pretty carefree when the time is right. Something Lynn is very good at, however, is hiding her true feelings. If she were truly upset about something, she could keep a smile going on for a long time before finally going to someone she trusted, such as Pearl or Marina, and breaking down. I explain this to you because this aspect of Lynn’s personality will surely take effect in the future.

While Yulia worked at Grizzco, she was still Lynn’s friend. After all, the Salmonling understood that this was Yulia’s only source of income. Lynn herself had a job at her home-run taxidermy and woodworking studio, where she charged very little to mount fish or carve small projects. She went by appointment and made all of her works at home, simply delivering them to her clients. Thus, she had a lot of downtime.. She didn’t need the money, as she lived in a small cabana for free in exchange for using her wonderful woodworking skills to make fixtures for the owner’s rec room, so she decided to put it toward a secret cause of hers. After all, her first movement of trying to close down Grizzco was temporarily postponed until Yulia’s parents came back or she received stable income..

These two young ladies, as well as Pearl, then took off, walking in the direction of the forest, where Lynn had apparently saw Marina running off to. As Pearl mentioned, this type of behavior was unlike Marina, who was usually gentle and laid-back. Yulia, confused by this sudden personality change, still stuck to her bad tuna theory, telling herself that Marina went to find a bush to throw up in, though she knew that the idea was ridiculously far-fetched, but it sounded good in her head.

Eventually, the three got near the small forest. Lynn and Pearl, knowing Marina a bit better than Yulia, were well aware of Marina’s hiding spots. Marina never wandered deep into the forest, as there were rumors going around Inkopolis that a strange old man lived deep in the greenery. Marina refused to confess that she believed in the rumor, but both of her friends knew that this old man scared her.

“All right, I say we split up and look for her. Lynn, you look on the east side. Yuls and I will go and check the west,” Pearl said, assuming herself the boss of the group. Lynn made her way toward the east while Yulia and Pearl walked the other way.

“I hope that Marina is okay…” Yulia mumbled to herself, looking behind trees and in bushes. Her mind and soul still stuck to the idea that Marina had just eaten some bad seafood.

“Yeah, me too. I haven’t seen her that upset since she lost her third Splatfest in a row. Even then, she doesn’t usually just run off,” Pearl said in an almost bragging way, but it was clear that she was still worried about her friend.

After a while of searching, Pearl went to help Lynn, assuming that Marina would be hiding on the east side of the forest, as it was the side closer to town. Pearl demanded that Yulia stay put and continue watching the area in case Marina decided to show herself. Just about every young person from Yulia’s district knew the ways of the forest, so it wouldn’t be hard for her to reunite with Pearl and Lynn.

After a bit more searching, Pearl caught up with Yulia. “Yo, you need to come with. Marina’s having a breakdown,” she said solemnly. Grabbing Yulia’s hand rather roughly, Pearl quickly walked deeper into the forest. Then, Yulia saw them.

“Sis.., Sis… Calm down. Just tell me what’s wrong, okay?” Lynn comforted. Marina was resting her head on the Salmonling’s lap, and she looked like she had been crying. It hurt Yulia’s heart seeing her friend so upset.

“Lynn… I’m such a bad friend! I know where Callie is and I didn’t tell anyone! I kept it a secret for so long!” Marina cried, squeezing one of Lynn’s hands.

“C’mon, Sis… We’ll not talk about whether it was right or wrong now. Just… tell us where Callie is! We’ll make it all better, I promise,” Lynn shushed. I should take the time to mention here that  _ Sis _ was one of the many nicknames that Lynn had for Marina. The two will refer to each other by many nicknames throughout this tale, so I recommend the reader keep track of them.

“She… She ran off to Octo Canyon! She said something about visiting….someone….but she ended up running off before I could stop her. It’s my fault she’s gone, Lynn!” It was obvious that Marina wasn’t telling the whole truth, but neither Pearl, Yulia, nor Lynn felt the need to interrogate her. She was obviously under a lot of stress. “Please, Lynn, we need to help her…”

“Sis, don’t worry. I’ll go down there and get her. After all, I love to help others,” Lynn replied, bravely puffing out her chest. Lynn, the usually calm, worriless Salmonling, was trembling inside.

“Lynn! No!”

Yulia and Pearl watched the heated exchange between the two friends, Lynn proclaiming that she was going whether Marina liked it or not while Marina practically begged her not to go. Pearl obviously wasn’t going to do anything, so Yulia decided to speak up.

“I’ll be the one to go! Lynn, you already help so many people around here… I ought to make myself useful for once. After my parents left, I practically ceased functioning. I want to help Callie! She’s the fairer Squid Sister who can’t possibly defend herself, so I’m going to get her back!” Yulia proclaimed, confidently pushing up her glasses. She expected cheering and clapping, but the other three ladies looked...less than moved by her statement.

“Yuls… You do Salmon Runs for a living. You’ve never splatted another person in your life,” Pearl said, oddly calm for her personality.

“W-Well, I mean… Octarians can’t be that different than Salmonids, can they? Th-They’re both pretty weird-looking…”

“You even feel bad doing Salmon Runs, Yulia. You adopted a baby Salmonid because you couldn’t splat him. What if you see a baby Octarian? Are you going to adopt one of those, too? Don’t even get me started on Octolings. Yulia, if you can’t even do non-violent turf wars here in Inkopolis, you’ll never be able to splat an Octoling in self-defense,” Lynn explained.

“Th-This isn’t about splatting people, Lynn! This is about saving Callie! Besides, you’ve never done a turf war either! How would you defend yourself?”

“Salmonid ink is very toxic to Inklings and Octolings. You’d be surprised how well I fight, but I choose not to because I don’t want to poison people. Why else do you think Mr. Grizz makes you wear such protective gear?”

“All right, all right, you got me. Well… Mr. Grizz wants to make Inkopolis a better place, and I’d like to expand on his policy and spread kindness beyond Inkopolis! I’m going to get Callie back without using any violence at all!”

“Yulia, you’re naïve,” Marina scolded. “You really think you can just go into Octo Canyon and politely ask if you can have Callie back? Keep in mind that I’ve lived with the Octarians for sixteen years. I have enough experience to tell you that they hate Inklings. They won’t want anything to do with you.”

“Marina… You… I thought you were on my side! You seriously don’t have any faith in me? I’ve been Grizzco’s employee of the month for an entire year!”

“Yulia, I… it’s your funeral, I guess,” Marina said coldly, turning her head toward Pearl and giving her a sad nod. Yulia, enraged, stormed away headed for home. After all, she had to prepare for her expedition, as she was clearly going whether Marina liked it or not. Yulia walked slowly, hoping that someone would catch up to her.

Surely enough, someone did. That someone was Pearl, who was honestly the one she least expected. Yulia kind of wished that it was Marina coming to apologize, but she loved Pearl. After all, the two had known each other for years, meeting whenever Yulia started Squid Scouts. Because Yulia took Squid Scouts incredibly seriously and Pearl hardly took it seriously, the two graduated in the same class despite the 5-year age difference. Yulia could be mad at Marina- and she was- but she couldn’t get mad at Pearl. 

“Pearl… please don’t tell me something I’ve already heard…”

“I’m not, Yuls. I know you don’t want to hurt anyone, and as much as I don’t understand that philosophy, I can see why you don’t want to… but I’m just worried that you’ll underestimate the Octarians, y’know?”

“Yeah, I can see your concern.”

“I’m not accusing you or calling you naïve like Marina did, but I feel as if you have the mindset that the Octarians will just turn the other cheek and let you spoil their plans. Y’know they’re not gonna do that. After all, most of the Octarians hate Inklings from what Rina told me. With the lack of light down there, you know that they’ll be all over yo glowy parts. Ya could light a house with those things!” Was Pearl poetic in speech? No. Did she have a point? Absolutely. Since the greedy Inklings had to have every last Zapfish for themselves, Octo Canyon, much like Octo Valley before it, completely lacked electricity...and power in general. Pearl feared that the Octarians, who of course never chose this life, would try to literally poach Yulia to take advantage of her glowing skin and hair.

“I suppose that I could try and be an exception to their hatred. Maybe if some of them meet an Inkling who tries to reason with them and not immediately splat their tentacles into oblivion, they could change their mind and realize that we’re not in war times anymore. They could realize that the tides have changed since the Great Turf War. As for my  _ ‘glowy parts…’ _ I promise that if anything happens, I’ll come back and let Lynn go instead,” Yulia said, slightly cheering up.

“Just… don’t be mad at Rina, okay? She just told me that she was afraid that you’d become attached to the Octarians and not want to leave, after you get Callie back… but.. You’re my Li’l Yuls, you know I love you, and I think that it’s my duty to give ya my support. As for the little fishy, I’m sure Lynn will take care of him. He could be her brother, for all we know…” Pearl joked. Yulia’s face lit up and she rushed to the short Inkling, hugging her as tight as she possibly could...which wasn’t very tight.

“Oh, Pearl! You’ve made me so happy! I promise I won’t let you down! I’ll make you proud! I’ll make Marina proud! I’ll make Lynn proud… You wait and see!” Yulia said, letting go of Pearl and quickly dashing off to her cabin to make final preparations. This was quite an easy task for her because of her amazing running skill.

Once at home, she quickly took off her Squaps jersey, wanting to change into something less valuable. If the jersey wasn’t enough evidence to show that Yulia loved the Squaps, her house was decked out in their merchandise, some of it being one-of-a-kind, even. Posters, calendars, figurines, autographs...a broken stick and sweaty, smelly jersey that Kelpson himself wore! Yulia wasn’t just a fan, she was a fanatic. If her jersey would have gotten ruined in Octo Canyon, she probably would have died of grief.

Yulia’s cabin was a little small, which was honestly a little uncomfortable for her, but she could deal with it. In all honesty, the cabin would have been a lovely size if Pooky’s fish tank didn’t take up about a quarter of it. However, in the choice of letting Pooky go or having less space, Yulia chose to have less space.

“Well, if I’m not going to be fighting, I should wear something more...formal. After all, if I’m well-dressed, maybe the Octarians will want to listen to me…” Yulia thought aloud, Pooky watching from his favorite rock as the girl sorted through her various dresses, finally picking out one that was nice, but not too nice. It was a simple sleeveless dress that was made of a thin silk material. The only detailing it had was a ruffled layer of fabric and some pearls lining the bottom of it. This was the image of sophistication that her father adored.

_ ‘Yulia, you mustn’t let simple thoughts turn you away. So what if you miss a couple of Squaps games… so what if you miss a stage of Pooky’s growth… so what if Lynn finally decides to confess her love for Emperor while you’re away… if you want to live by Mr. Grizz’s policy, you must think of yourself last,’  _ Yulia thought to herself as she quickly grabbed her Tri-Slosher. Technically, Yulia was a sniper, but she wasn’t bad on Sloshers. After all, she was just going to use it for an intimidation factor. Afterward, she went up to her beloved Pooky, who excitedly hung over the glass with his little fins, wanting to see his best friend.

“Oh, Pooky, you make this hard… I won’t be home for a while,” she explained, the Salmonid letting out an unhappy cry, “but… it’s not your fault, I promise! I have very, very important things to do. I know that Lynn will take good care of you while I’m gone. Just remember that I love you, you little rascal,” she said, hugging the fish, who gave a sad yet sympathetic smile as he jumped back into his tank, swimming into the small cave. Though, Yulia couldn’t leave the city yet. She still needed to tell two more people.

From the camp, Yulia sprinted to Grizzco. She had nearly forgotten that she was scheduled to work today! If she just dipped out without showing up to give some kind of explanation, she knew that Mr. Grizz would be flamin’ hot with anger. She needed to get his support on this; though he sometimes mistreated her, he was the closest thing she had to a father.

Upon stepping inside the shady building, Yulia was surprised to find her Salmonling boss out in the open rather than hiding his identity behind a bear statue. Upon seeing his most prized possession, Mr. Grizz gave a horrible smile, putting out the cigarette he was smoking, getting up off his chair, and began to walk toward the girl.

“Well, if it isn’t Little Miss Employee of the Month! You look eager to get me some eggs,” he said, his somewhat raspy but also somewhat seductive voice echoing through her ears.

“W-Well, not exactly. That’s why I’ve come so early… I’d like to get your blessing on something.”

“What in the blue blazes do you- blessing? Are you and that rock-n’-roll dreamboat of yours getting married or something?”

“My rock… NO, SIR! I-I-I’m not even dating him, sir! I… I need your blessing on something far more important…”

“Awright then, I’m all ears.”

So, little Yulia spat up the story, figuring that Mr. Grizz would willingly accept the suggestion, considering that Yulia was trying to mess with his thoughts by shamelessly plugging Grizzco’s philosophy into the mix. To make things even better for him, she even offered to work double shifts whenever she got back. 

“Yulia… Yulia… TENTATEK, CALM DOWN!” Mr. Grizz yelled as he gently-yet firmly- placed his hands on Yulia’s shoulders. He had tried to get her attention several times, but she kept sputtering, only shutting up at his sudden reaction. Mr. Grizz looked upset that his prized employee was leaving, but he could easily bump up one of his other employees that performed well. 

“Tentatek, you’re one of the biggest overachievers I’ve ever met. After Lynn was stupid enough to think that she’d stand a chance down there, you decided to go and risk your life for some pop star. I guess my philosophy of making the world a better place means treating my employees right…’ _ whether I like it or not,’”  _ he cleared his throat as he silently thought the last part, “so I’ll just have other kids work your shifts until you get back. Go on, kid. Go show ‘em how strong you really are.”

Yulia cried out in excitement at this, embracing her boss. It was a bit awkward, yes, but she couldn’t help it! She was so happy to be getting some support! Because she had been a bit lacking in Salmon Runs recently, Yulia hoped that doing a task such as this would make Mr. Grizz even proud of her. She felt unstoppable!

After leaving Grizzco, Yulia, without letting Mr. Grizz know, walked around back to the dock, where several boats were located. There, some of her coworkers were unloading one of the vessels, which was filled with Golden Eggs.

“Will you be making any more trips to Marooner’s Bay? I’d like to go down for a little while. If you’ll take me, I’d be happy to help you unload,” Yulia smiled somewhat meekly at the group of young boys. The Inkling was always rather awkward around the opposite sex.

The boys agreed, and after a rather quick job of unloading the Golden Eggs, the small group went down to Marooner’s Bay. While the boys went off to find more Golden Eggs that the Salmonids left behind, Yulia went to the edge of the water, resting in a very specific spot. She heard a splash, then with a ripple of water, Scrap appeared. Scrap, like Mr. Grizz and Lynn, was a Salmonling. He and Yulia had a very unlikely friendship. Yulia barely noticed the scruffy figure of a Salmonling woman watching them from a distance.

“Oi, Yuls! What are ya doing ‘round these parts? Ya usually don’t show up unless you’re workin,’” the Salmonling greeted his friend with a pat on the back as his other hand held a Golden Egg that he was craftily hiding in the front pocket of his overalls. Most Grizzco employees would have him pinned to the ground in hopes to grab that Egg, but Yulia and Scrap had decided to support each other the minute they became friends. This was no different. 

Yulia once again spat up her story, this time telling it in a much calmer fashion. Scrap listened, his interest piqued. He wasn’t exactly happy with her leaving, mainly because Yulia was his biggest ally. However, the mutual support discussed earlier resonated in the back of his mind, which made him unable to forbid her. At the mention of Lynn’s prepared sacrifice and Yulia deciding to take her place, the Salmonid woman suddenly ran up to Yulia, falling on her knees, nearly sobbing.

“You’ve saved her! My precious little Lynn! My only source of happiness in this world! Bless you, high-and-mighty Inkling! You have saved my wretched soul from an eternity of mourning!” The lady went on, Yulia not knowing what to do. She looked at Scrap nervously.

“Fantine! Fantine!” Scrap said, slowly pulling the weak woman off of Yulia. “I thought my parents were takin’ care of ya! You should be back on the Islands! What are you doin’ out ‘ere?”

“You’ve saved my baby, you sweet, gentle soul! My baby in which I could not raise. My baby in which I gave up so many years ago… Her father treats her so badly. He hurts her… It’s all my fault!” Fantine bawled as Scrap was finally able to drag her off of Yulia.

“I’ve gotta get her down home… Good luck, Yuls!!” Scrap said rather quickly, jumping back into the ocean with Fantine, who was still weeping bitterly.

“What on earth was that about?” Yulia heard one of the boys asking from a distance. Yulia realized that she had just met Lynn’s  mother, but didn’t exactly comprehend it… After all, Lynn’s mother was supposed to be dead! However, reader, this won’t be the last we see of Fantine.

On the trip back, Yulia knew that she had done all she had to do before she left. Knowing that her time left in Inkopolis was limited, she tensed up, but didn’t let the boys in the boat see. Whenever they got back, Yulia was to unload, as she promised. She cherished every minute of it. As soon as she had put the last Golden Egg in the net, she felt a drop on her head. She hadn’t noticed that storm clouds had gathered while she was unloading. Now, it was pouring, which added to her anxious, gloomy mood.

Yulia slowly made her way toward the grate that would lead her to her destination. Not having an umbrella, she was naturally getting soaked. She expected to see Lynn prancing about, as she remembered how much the Salmonling loved the rain and getting wet in general. However, as she neared the grate, she didn’t see Lynn… but she almost wished she had. Part of her wanted Lynn to swoop in, save the day, and go down to Octo Canyon instead. After all, Salmonid ink was one of the best ways of self defense! Yulia finally accepted the fact that Lynn was more fit to save Callie than she was, but that wasn’t going to stop her.

Yulia’s mind raced back to Fantine, that wretched Salmonid woman. Was she actually Lynn’s mother? Was she just delusional? She looked sick. She didn’t look like she had a lot of life left in her. Whether or not she was delusional or telling the truth, she saw Yulia as her hero, and the Inkling would feel like scum if she betrayed the woman and sent Lynn down to Octo Canyon instead. She knew that saving Callie was now in her tiny, freckled hands.

“This is for you…” Yulia said. She didn’t know who exactly she was addressing, but soon after she said it, she jumped through the grate, leaving Inkopolis and entering Octo Canyon.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Now, reader, before we go to Yulia’s adventures in Octo Canyon, we must go back to the forest. After Pearl had left them, Lynn and Marina were in turmoil.

“It wouldn’t have been like this if you’d have just let me go…” Lynn said, fiddling with her hair. “Our plan! What happened to our plan?!”

“Having you sacrifice yourself wasn’t part of our plan!”

“She’s going to die down there, Sis…”

“Why… Why didn’t I just go? It’s probably my family that took Callie…”

“Sis, not after what you’ve been through… After all of the stories you’ve told me, I never want you going back there.”

“What are we going to do, Lynn?!”

“Don’t worry, Sis… We’ll figure it out. We’ve been waiting two long years to put our plan in action, and today’s finally the day. Meet me at the metro tonight and we’ll talk more.”

“Got it.”

With that, Lynn stomped off. Marina didn’t know what to expect. They had been plotting for so long...would their plan really become a reality?

**********

After Yulia had fallen into Octo Canyon from the hustling, bustling Inkopolis above, the first thing she did was enter one of the kettles, which served as a path to the underground dome where the Octarians established their society. They were forced to do this; while there was land above ground, it was barren, dry, and hardly supported any kind of life. Now, underground, Yulia knew that she was a stranger in a strange land; no one even knew of her existence. She came from Inkopolis, a land where the government once pushed on people that the Octarians were the enemy; now,  _ she _ was the enemy. Her stomach already dropped as she rewatched Pearl and Marina’s news broadcast in her head, but tried to stay positive. After all, her job was to make the world a better place. Right….right? She would save Callie…right?

Yulia didn’t know if positivity would help her. Octo Canyon was drastically different from Inkopolis, and it frightened her. Sure, Octo Canyon did have some nice beaches-not as nice as those in Inkopolis- and the scenery was much different, but there was something dreadful about it. The distant buildings Yulia could see were large and industrial, but she also saw shadows of small, shanty houses that didn’t look like they could support a family. Going against her conscience, she decided to walk toward the buildings to see if there was any sign of life.

Yulia had heard the warnings, but she didn’t expect Octo Canyon to be like this...at all. She expected it to be rich, like Inkopolis. After all, the officials pretty much preached that the sudden move from Octo Valley to Octo Canyon would generously benefit the Octarians, but Yulia realized that this was just an effort to shut up anyone wanting to help them. The Inklings thought that the Octarians were down here having the time of their lives, but what Yulia saw was a desolate wasteland. This wasn’t good. She had just entered Octo Canyon and she was already scared out of her wits….she hadn’t even met any Octolings yet.

As little Yulia was practically going into survival mode, her mind kept forcing her to rewatch flashbacks of an encounter with a particularly strange old man back when she was doing some Salmon Runs. Was her body trying to give her a sign? She didn’t know.

“Excuse me, sir… You’re in the Salmonid Smokeyard, y’know,” Yulia said politely to the strange, hooded man. This was about a week before she entered Octo Canyon. She was most certainly surprised to find this old man sitting on the beach, cane in hand. How on earth did he get here? There were only two boats that made this route: the boat that carried food service workers who smoked meat and Grizzco’s private boat. Was this man perhaps left behind? But...he looked too old to be working… Even then, why were the Salmonids not attacking him?

Telling her teammates to go back to the boat and prepare a spot for him, Yulia repeated the sentence. The old man was hiding his face from her in his black, hooded cloak that covered his entire body. He was trembling.

In the present, as Yulia thought about this old man, she didn’t hear the whispers. She didn’t realize that she was now being watched.

“Sir! Are you all right?” Yulia asked the old man, whose back was turned to her.

“I come not from here, dear girl… My people are suffering and I have done nothing for them. They turned on me. What am I to do?” The old man asked, simply walking toward the boat without being asked.

“Don’t mind him. He probably just forgot his meds,” one of her teammates reassured her whenever they were all safely on the boat, heading back home. The entire way back to Inkopolis, the man was silent, kneeling in a position almost like he was lost in prayer or meditation. Mr. Grizz made all of the kids promise to never tell anyone about the man. Yulia remembered that the next day, she tried to find him, but she heard from Judd that overnight the man was spotted walking toward the forest, whistling an old Octarian tune that had been composed during the Great Turf War.

Yulia had went back to the Salmonid Smokeyard several times, but never spotted him there again. She had continuously asked herself if that man was even real or if he was just a figment of her imagination. One part of her even claimed that it was the ghost of Old Pappy Tentatek, Yulia’s grandfather and a Great Turf War veteran who had passed away when the girl was only a few months old.

As she stood in Octo Canyon, the old man’s miniature monologue echoed in her head. What did he mean by  _ ‘I come not from here?’  _ His people… Turned against him? Did they banish him here? But...why would they banish him to Inkopolis of all places? After all, it was gorgeous!

Whenever Yulia came to her senses and stopped thinking about this odd man, she looked around her and realized that several Octarians were staring at her. They looked incredibly shocked to see an Inkling, but they weren’t armed.

“I-Is that….? Call Octavio! Call Octavio!” One of the Octarians shouted, the rest of them backing away from her. One grabbed a nearby stick and pointed it at Yulia in self defense.They were all wearing clothes that looked like they were either handmade or hand-me-downs, and to be honest, they looked clueless.

“No, no! Please don’t call Octavio! I mean no harm! I just want to talk to you!” Yulia said, putting her Slosher down and putting her hands up in surrender. However, after seeing that one of the Octarians had sounded an alarm, her survival instincts kicked in, she grabbed her weapon, and she took off as fast as she could. She made her way to one of the beaches and hid behind a huge rock that had fallen from the canyon above. It was completely secluded.

Wandering around, Yulia eyed up the ocean, wondering if there was some kind of pipeline that connected Inkopolis to Octo Canyon. If there was...she could try to build some kind of raft to temporarily go home and let the Octarians calm down… but then she realized that this body of water was more of a giant swimming pool than an ocean. 

First off, whenever Yulia tried to wash her face to calm down, she realized that the water was fresh water, not salt water. Secondly, there were no waves whatsoever. Finally, upon reaching her hand in the water, she was easily able to feel the bottom; it turns out that it was a large, metal barrier that was painted to look like the ocean floor. This was simply an effect used to make the Octarians feel like they were on the surface. It had certainly made Yulia forget that she was in a dome.

For a while, Yulia stayed cooped up behind this rock, wondering about this  _ Octavio _ person. Who was he? Was he some kind of protector? Was he the leader? From what she had seen in the brief moments before she ran away, no one was armed, which really stuck out to her. In Inkopolis, pretty much everyone owned some kind of weapon. Even her meek, mild father owned his own weapon. However, Inkopolis was a very safe place. The Octarians seemed like the ones who needed weapons the most, but didn’t have any.

Her mind went back to stories that Marina would tell her about the Octarians. According to Marina, their leader was so afraid of people revolting against him that he prohibited any kind of weaponry among the common folk. The only citizens that were legally allowed to be armed were members of his small defense squad. Marina had told Yulia that she was a mechanic in the squad and her brother was a soldier, but she gave up defending the leader when she realized that her calling was in the music industry.

This squad that Marina mentioned was what Yulia’s real threat would be. Yulia was very quick on her feet and had her Slosher, but she was a natural sniper and could be very clumsy with Sloshers sometimes. She didn’t want to fight, and if she had to, she was used to doing so from very far away. Being outnumbered didn’t help, either. 

However, Yulia also knew that in situations like this, she was her own worst enemy. During the early stages of Inkling development, the Firefly Inklings were commonly wiped out by predators because of their glowing. Even though Octo Canyon was nowhere near the savage societies of the ancient past, her glowing gave her a disadvantage if she didn’t want to be seen. 

After a while, Yulia assumed that the coast was clear and slowly emerged out of the rocks, still keeping low. As terrible as a thought this was, Yulia hoped and prayed that this was just the slums and that conditions would improve as she went on. She ducked even lower as she saw an Octoling run up to a small house, knocking on the door. A man answered, holding a toddler in his arms.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Wells. I-I’m afraid that Chyna’s injured herself again. As you know, she took a job cleaning windows…” The visitor went on.

The Octoling paused as a woman shrieked in horror, starting to cry at the thought of this girl hurting herself. The man quickly went into the house, trying to calm the woman down. After a while, he emerged once more, the toddler now gone.

“Please, Doctor… go on.”

“She was busily cleaning the windows of one of the old office buildings so our team could go ahead with the repurposing project… Because of the rocky ground, the ladder she was on collapsed. Upon hearing news of the predator, she tried to move down the ladder as fast as she could. She fell, and the ladder fell on top of her.”

“Oh, my baby! My poor baby!” The woman inside the house hysterically sobbed.

“There may be a head injury from the falling ladder. We’ve assigned Marlene Briney as her nurse, and Mrs. Briney has reported that her worst injury by far is a laceration on her leg. She’s currently unable to walk. Several other minor injuries were located on her face, arms, and torso. She’s losing a lot of blood. She’s conscious and requesting that you come to the tent and see her,” the doctor finished. The...tent? She wasn’t in some kind of hospital?

The man, presumably Chyna’s father, rushed into the house. Within moments, he was bringing out the woman, who was in a wheelchair, who had the toddler in her lap. The poor woman looked absolutely sickly. Her legs were covered in a thick dress, but whenever the toddler lifted it up slightly, what Yulia saw of her calves were completely shriveled. She didn’t dare look at it anymore; she felt as if she was going to cry and get sick at the same time. She realized that  _ she _ was this predator. Had she almost killed an Octarian on her first day of being in Octo Canyon? Yup. Did it make her feel awful? Absolutely.

_ ‘I’ve only been here a short while, but I’m already a predator to the people. What on earth did the Inklings do to them?’  _ Yulia thought to herself as she continued to keep low. Everything was silent, and it was almost unbearable to her. The slums seemed lifeless, and the void sense of emptiness made her sick. She needed to go to someone who would listen to her and not be afraid. Did she have to go to a richer place with more privileged people? She knew that Octo Canyon’s economy was horrible, but she hoped that the people she saw weren’t considered the higher-ups.

However, there was one problem with her plan: her glowing! She either needed to stop a natural body process or escape unseen…she decided that the latter would be easier for her to do. After all, she was the predator. They would probably be willing to do anything to exterminate her. Because of how strong her emotions were, no matter how hard she tried, she’d still end up glowing. She needed to get out.

_ ‘I’m one of the fastest runners at Grizzco...surely I can do this without getting caught,’  _ Yulia thought to herself. She immediately braced herself, getting ready for the sprint. She had just gotten over running for the first time, but this… she had to do it. She felt like she was genuinely in danger, and that wasn’t a nice feeling.

Counting down in her head, Yulia immediately started running as fast as she could, feeling the cold Octarian breeze blow through her hair. The land in the area was rather slippery, but Yulia was handling it like a pro. This was her survival mode.

Yulia still thought of the old man as she ran off. Those words were like knives stabbing her brain. She was starting to believe that this man was more than a simple old man whose mind had deteriorated from the Great War. She was starting to believe that he was some kind of prophet who knew of her intentions and was willing to guide her through her voyage with his cryptic speech. Could it have been Pappy Tentatek coming back from heaven to guide her through the Octarian devil’s den? Probably not. She was probably just overthinking.

It just felt like she had been running for so long. The scenery had appeared to be the same...was she just running in circles? Whilst she was running, Yulia had taken a closer look at her surroundings and realized that nearly everything was artificial. The sky… those bubbly clouds that she had observed weren’t clouds at all! They were TV screens slapped together to look like a sky! Somehow, they were able to operate without power. This brought her down to earth and made her remember once more that she was in an underground dome.

Seeing the ceiling of the dome had made Yulia dizzy. She felt as if she were in a computer simulation. Everything around her had started to become distorted. The weight of her weapon on her shoulders felt as if she was trying to carry an elephant rather than a Slosher. Eventually, she was unable to hold herself up and fell to the ground, estimating that she had ran about eight to ten miles. Fortunately, the spot that she had collapsed in seemed to be abandoned.

Was...Marina right? Was Yulia just naïve? Was Marina just trying to help her? She felt so stupid!

_ “It’s your funeral.” _

Three words. Three words that came out of one person. Marina said that, not caring if it broke Yulia’s heart. As the Inkling sat and tried to catch her breath, she nearly cried as she remembered Marina scolding her.

_ ‘What did you expect?! Did you expect them to treat you like a queen?! You’re a predator. You’re evil to them. They’re going to tear you limb from limb when they find you,’ _ Yulia’s mind screamed at her. She wanted to get up and run again, but her feet were killing her and her lungs were burning. How long had she been here?

Yulia wanted to try to call out to Callie, call out to her mother and father, call out to anyone. She was afraid that the Octarians would find her. They’d definitely tear her apart if they found her. Here she sat, breathless and all alone.

Yulia constantly drifted in and out of consciousness from fatigue. She had hardly noticed that the screens in the sky were changing from daytime to nighttime. The Octarian nighttime was especially dangerous, as with no electricity or natural light, it was pitch black. It seemed as if all of the canyon was barren, its little inhabitants running into their little homes, protecting themselves from the night; something Yulia couldn’t do. Eventually, she fell unconscious.

**********

Late into the night, Marina left her home, walking through the mostly barren Inkopolis. As it was very late, most of the kids had decided to go home for the night, though there were still a few stragglers hanging around. They didn’t have time to scream over her presence, as she quickly vanished from sight by jumping a fence leading to an old, abandoned subway station.

The station, known to the locals as Deepsea Metro, hadn’t been used after the Great Turf War. These tracks were the key to getting to Octo Canyon from Inkopolis, but unfortunately the Inklings had blocked off the entrance with heavy rocks. Though, the lighting ran off of the city’s power, so it was still conveniently lit up. This was the place that Lynn and Marina met to discuss their secret plan.

“Lynn? Where are you?” Marina called out. Her voice echoed through the abandoned station, but she heard no reply.

“Lynn?!” She tried again. Whenever Marina really started to worry, Lynn dashed in, out of breath.

“I’m sorry, Rina… I was in the forest…” Lynn panted.

“Lynn, it’s 3 in the morning! What were you doing in the forest?!”

“I was out searching for the old man! I’ve heard that he’s most active at night! I wanted to find out who this old man is once and for all… but I lost track of time.”

“Oh, Lynn… A-Anyway, how do you think Yulia’s doing down there...if she’s still even alive…?”

“All we can do is hope that she’s doing okay. But...at least she brought our plan back to life.”

“You know,” Marina said, “I remember when I was fourteen… whenever my dad sent me to Inkopolis to collect weapons… Whenever we met on the beach and thought of this crazy scheme…”

Marina saw herself, back whenever she was very, very young. She was sent to Inkopolis to find more weapons for Octavio’s defense force. She could hardly get a proper grasp of her humanoid form, and she was already on her first big mission! The surface was completely unknown to her, and she wandered aimlessly on the beach, completely lost.

“Ey… You all right?” Marina suddenly heard from the pier. Looking in that direction, she saw a strange girl, about her age, standing with her hands on her hips.

“I...I…I’m not from here…”

“Yeah, I could kinda tell. You don’t look like any Inkling I’ve ever seen.”

“Well, that’s… B-because I’m not an Inkling at all. I-I’m an Octoling,” Marina whispered the last part, but this girl was able to read her lips rather well.

“What? Don’t tell me that you came from that wasteland down below!”

Marina walked toward this strange girl, who introduced herself as Lynn. As Marina explained her story, Lynn became invested almost immediately. There was just something about this girl’s voice that had captivated her.

“S-So… do you have any weapons that I could use?”

“Unfortunately not. We Salmonlings don’t do turf wars. But a very prominent family friend of mine, the Tentatek family, have a ton. I’m sure that they could help you.”

“Oh, great!”

“But… before I give you directions to their place...answer me, Octoling. Do you wish that you were able to live here instead of Octo Valley? Have you ever wondered what life is like on the other side of the tracks?”

“N-Not really… But I think we’d be a lot happier if we lived up here. We’d have a lot more uses for our technology.”

“Say what… Two years from now. We’ll be stronger. Smarter. Come back here in two years and we could just make that happen.”

Marina, out of the blue, embraced Lynn. They weren’t exactly friends, but it was undeniable that there were some kind of feelings of appreciation.

“Two years exactly. Today is truly righteous,” Lynn said before diving off of the pier into the water. Marina, having the Octarian instinct of water being bad, was shocked, but she quickly ran off toward the Tentatek household using the directions that Lynn had given her.

Ever since Marina had gotten home from that trip to Inkopolis, she had never been the same. Octavio had noticed that the girl seemed to focus less on assembling weapons of war and more on little trinkets and gadgets that had no practical use. She would often walk away from Octavio’s anti-Inkling rage. She started to realize that Octo Valley was worse than she thought. Even after being scolded by Octavio, her passion started to grow. Lo and behold, whenever two years had passed, Marina left Octo Valley for good.

“Yeah, I remember that, too. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to actually come back…I was just really lonely, y’know...” Lynn gushed as the two entered one of the abandoned trains, sitting down. During their last meeting they had completely cleaned the train’s interior, turning it into their meeting place.

“So… how are we going to start this?” Lynn asked. Their secret plan, of course, was to free the Octarians from Octo Canyon and let them live in freedom in Inkopolis.

“Well, first, I say we get rid of the rocks blocking the path. We want to show the council that we want change!” Marina said optimistically.

“Marina… Don’t you realize how much work that’ll be?”

“Exactly, Lynn! They’ll see our passion! What were you thinking of?”

“I was just thinking of getting the people on our side. Y’know, through petitions and council meetings. I guess I wasn’t thinking that far ahead...but you’re right, Sis… Maybe if they see our passion for the project, they’ll feel more sympathy..”

The two young ladies then plotted out their plans for demolishing the rock wall that had separated two species for decades. They weren’t going to be discreet about it, either. They were going to let everyone in Inkopolis know what they were planning.

**********

Upon waking up the next morning, the first thing that Yulia did was instinctively check her phone, which she had decided to bring with her. It was indeed the next day, about seven in the morning. She had hoped to see concern texts or calls from her friends, but then realized that Octo Canyon obviously had no cell service. Even if they did try to call or text her, there would be no way to know. The lock screen wallpaper on her phone seemed to mock her. It was a picture of herself with all of her friends, giving friendly gestures.

_ “Hey, Yulia! It’s dad! Your mother and I are going to be at work a little longer tonight...I know I was supposed to come and watch the Squaps game with you, but work comes first, and I know that you understand that. If you get lonely, I’m sure Lynn or Pearl would come visit you. Love you! Buh-bye.” _

The voice of Shaquarius Tentatek had then faded into oblivion as the brief voicemail ended. This voicemail was from about a year ago, but after her parents had left, Yulia refused to delete it. After all, it was the only remnant she had left of her father’s voice. Even then, she didn’t have her phone charger with her, so if she let the battery die, she’d never be able to hear it again. Why did Lottie have to hit while her parents were traveling?! Out of all the times for there to be a hurricane! 

As Yulia sulked, she scrolled through her pictures and voicemails, wincing and hiding at any kind of Octarian presence. Being a predator had really hurt the girl’s ego. As much as she liked to think that she was humble, she took a lot of pride in her job and her nearly legendary status at Grizzco. She enjoyed being praised by Mr. Grizz for her hard work. She enjoyed the company of friends. Being called a predator made her tremble inside. She wanted to try to make peace with these people, but she was considered an outcast. She was alone, and nothing could change that. She wasn’t in her cozy Inkopolis cabin, reading about Salmonids or watching hockey. She wasn’t watching Lynn collect money from water fountains or working for Mr. Grizz. Now she was here, in Octo Canyon, where people hated her and wanted her gone. She wasn’t completely defenseless, as she had her Tri-Slosher, but could she really fend off Octavio’s entire defense force? Could she fend off Octavio himself? Sure, her Tri-Slosher was a beast, but, as mentioned, she was a sniper. Plus, the Octarians would fight back. They wouldn’t just stand there and let her beat them to a pulp. Even if they weren’t armed, they would fight back. They were naturally better than Inklings at fighting, as evident by their amazing success in the Great Turf War… well, the first part of it.

_ ‘This should be me down here and them up there. I’ve never read those books about the war, but the Octarians were supposed to win. We won by cheap luck. I don’t understand why these people have to struggle. Is their leader not doing anything about this?’  _ Yulia thought to herself. Some Octolings lived in Inkopolis and were loved! For example, Mareanie Cuttlefish, the daughter of the legendary war veteran Cap’n Cuttlefish, married an Octoling to allow him to stay in Inkopolis during the war. They were still happily married and had raised two daughters, Callie being one of them.

_ ‘If the Inklings will accept certain Octolings, if they’ll accept crossbreeds like me… Why won’t they accept these people? I’m literally a light bulb. Is a lack of limbs really a reason to hate someone?’  _ Yulia asked as she tried to hold in the deep feelings of sympathy that she felt for these people. 

Oh, here she was, condemning herself already! She wasn’t thinking about herself as being the change or being the hero that the people needed. She was thinking of herself as an unloved outcast; she considered herself a hated, friendless wretch right now. But this wasn’t about her! It wasn’t about the Octarians, either! It was about Callie! Callie’s missing! But still…

This is what everyone had warned Yulia about. Her friends knew that she wanted to make changes in the world, and they knew that she wanted to help Callie, but they all knew deep in their hearts that she’d get attached to these people. They knew that she’d be hurt whenever she saw the Octarians living under oppression. They knew that the moment she stepped into Octo Canyon, it wouldn’t be about saving Callie anymore. This was personal to the girl now.

Yulia sat in thought, but jumped whenever she heard a conversation going on in the distance. 

“Dennis! Dennis! We need you for something!” A female voice cried. Yulia didn’t see who the voice belonged to, as she immediately went back into hiding. 

“Yes, Mama?” A male voice replied. 

“Surely you’ve heard of that Inkling wandering around here. This is what your father has been training you to do! I want you to go and catch that vile creature! We can’t have it going around and disturbing the peace in this canyon!”

“But Mama, you’re-”

“No ‘but’s about it, Dennis! You need to go and slaughter that thing!”

“O-Of course. Yes, Mama.”

“That’s my boy. Now...GO FIGHT!” The female voice cried, and the sound of boots flooded Yulia’s eardrums. She was in trouble, and she knew it. Whoever this Dennis was, she guessed that he was strong. 

Yulia felt as if she had to start running again, but her feet were still killing her. She felt as if she would seriously hurt herself if she started running again. 

_ ‘Calm down, Yulia. If he doesn’t see you, he won’t get you. Don’t run. Just keep it slow,’ _ Yulia tried to calm herself...promptly before she ignored her better judgement and took off as fast as she could. She didn’t know where she was going at all. The weight of the Tri-Slosher on her back became barely noticeable as she ran. What did become noticeable, however, was the fact that she just ran into a populated city. There were people staring at her. 

_ “There it is!” _

_ “What is that thing?! Is it going to kill us?!” _

_ “Yes, it’s that Inkling! It’s going to exterminate all of us! Somebody get Dennis! He’ll surely save us from it!” _

_ “Dennis! DENNIS!” _

Multiple voices had screamed for the previously mentioned Octoling, and Yulia knew that she was in a pit. For her, it seemed like a life or death situation once more. She had to run again. She meant to put her weapon back on her back, as she had instinctively pulled it out, but instead, she dropped it, accidentally sloshing ink on the street. It had nearly hit a young woman. Most retreated, and the woman screamed in terror whilst others grabbed items such as pots and pans to defend themselves. It was a Salmon Run all over again…

“Please, citizens! I do not mean any harm! I-I just want to…” Yulia started, but trailed off. Knowing that she had to escape, she wondered if she was even in the same dome that she had entered, as all of them were connected via a tunnel system. All Yulia could comprehend was that she was terrified of Dennis and that the Octarians were terrified of her.

Taking off, Yulia went on her final run. She wasn’t able to go as far as she did on either of her previous trekking sessions, but was still able to run a decent amount. There were no Octarians, just a barren field with its plasticky grass. The only noise was a faint static sound, presumably from the TV screens. 

As Yulia sat there, she once again realized how tired and hungry she was. The first thing that came to her mind was to eat the grass, but whenever she got a good feel of it, she immediately decided that it would probably kill her if she tried to eat it. She thought of trying to fish, but then she realized that the ocean was artificial. Why on earth would there be fish in an artificial ocean? Besides, she had no way to cook it. She even thought of stealing from the Octarians, but they looked like they didn't even have enough to feed themselves. Yulia, having a philosophy of all-work-and-no-anything-else, only ate one meal a day due to money...but still, she was ravenous.

Whilst wandering around aimlessly, Yulia’s mind was so caught up in finding food and reminding herself of her friends that she barely realized that there was a building that appeared to be abandoned up ahead. The windows were broken and a 2x4 covering the door had been snapped in half, letting the heavy metal door hang open. Deciding to take the risk, Yulia entered. The building was large, and it kind of reminded her of an indoor storage facility. Lining the halls were storage garages, all of which looked like they had been broken into, as broken locks scattered the floor. Other than the locks, the garages were completely barren.

If the underground domes were cold, the storage facility was colder. Yulia was having trouble keeping herself warm in the building, but she had assumed that it was the safest place for her to be at the moment. Though, a creeping suspicion always snuck up on her. She always felt as if she wasn’t alone, but tried to shrug it off as much as she could. After all, the building was about to fall apart, why would anyone come in willingly? There were holes in the floor, the ceiling was caving in, it was freezing, it was nearly pitch black, and it smelled like mold. 

As Yulia walked deeper into this seemingly massive building, her brain was screaming at her to get away, but she kept refusing to think that anyone was with her. She hadn’t seen anyone around whenever she saw the building! Th-This was her safe haven! Right? Right?!

Within moments of the suspicion hitting her again, Yulia heard footsteps that were coming right toward her. Before she even had time to turn around and react, cold metal hit the back of her head, and she fell unconscious.

 


	3. Chapter 3

The night had begun to shine, and thus, Lynn was out and about. Without Marina’s knowledge, she had toiled and labored nearly all day trying to break the stone wall that separated Inkopolis from Octo Canyon, getting a little done. Once again, she decided to go into the forest to hunt for the old man, once again without Marina’s knowledge. She was carrying an old oar with her that she had stolen from one of the decommissioned Grizzco boats. It was almost like her symbol, honestly. If she was to meet this old man, however, she wouldn’t be very presentable; her body was covered in sweat and water. You see, Salmonlings are primarily aquatic beings, and whilst most of them live on tropical islands near the ocean or in the ocean itself, Salmonlings like Lynn and Mr. Grizz had to take extra steps to make sure they stayed hydrated. While Mr. Grizz preferred to do so in private, Lynn felt no shame in spraying herself with water. Lynn loved it cold, which worked very well on her hot, overworked body.

As Lynn wandered through the forest, she pondered on going deeper than she ever had. She knew how much Marina tended to worry about her. She also knew that Marina was terrified of this old man, probably believing that he was some kind of serial killer.

Lynn, however, was fearless. Shaking off any insecurities, she wandered further into the forest, hoping that this legendary old man would be hiding out there. She wanted to show Marina that there was nothing to be afraid of! He was probably some crazy old war veteran.

“Hello?” Lynn called, trying to make out any figures from the darkness. It wasn’t incredibly dark, but it was still well into the night. Whenever she heard leaves rustling, she held the oar in front of her in self defense, but still remained calm.

“Oi, show yourself! I’m not gonna hurt you! Are you the old man who lives here?” Lynn asked, honestly not expecting a reply. It was probably just a bird or something. 

After a while of no reply, Lynn decided to move the leaves which separated her from the source of the noise. Whenever she moved the leaves aside, her heart skipped a beat. She saw a little camp set up! The old man...was he...real?!

“I...I ain’t messing around!” Lynn said, looking around the campsite for any sign of life. She remained cautious, as she didn’t know if whoever owned the camp would be dangerous. After noticing a particularly leafy tree, she quickly walked toward it. Before she could touch it, however, the leaves moved aside, revealing the figure that owned the camp.

This person that Lynn had just invaded the privacy of was indeed the old man of the forest, but honestly was nothing like Lynn’s expectations. He was very, very tall and was in incredible shape for his age. His face was hidden by the hood of his long, black cloak, but from his hands, she could tell that his complexion was similar to Marina’s. He was unarmed at the moment, but Lynn had noticed a wood carving knife back at the campsite. 

“A-Are you…?” Lynn asked. She was going to ask him if he was okay, but the word just wouldn’t come out. As she sat and stuttered, the old man simply left her alone and went back to his campsite, tending to the fire.

“I haven’t had this much company in eighteen years…” Lynn heard the old man say quietly, still not acknowledging her. This...this man had been in the forest longer than she had been alive! 

“Why on earth have you been here for eighteen years? What are you so afraid of?” Lynn asked rather pushily. She didn’t mean to be rude or invading, it was just part of her personality. She hoped that getting the old man to spill the beans would give her more information...then she could help him!

“Oh, dear girl… If only you knew. I’m not like the rest, you see. The Inklings would fear me if I revealed myself to them,” the old man replied, sitting on one of the benches he had made from a log. He left a space for Lynn, and it was clear that he wished for her to sit with him. That was just what Lynn did.

“W-What do you mean? Look at me! I’m a Salmonling! If they’re not afraid of me, they won’t be afraid of you! Come on! Just because you’re not an Inkling doesn’t mean you’re scary,” Lynn comforted, the old man trembling as he put his hands on either side of the hood, pulling it down.

Lynn nearly jumped at the sight. This old man...he was an Octoling! His dark, wrinkled face looked kind and gentle, yet there was something in his green eyes that displayed incredible sadness. 

“My greetings...My name is Octavio. Please feel free to call me Tavi,” he said, taking one of Lynn’s webbed hands in his massive one, gently shaking it. It was obvious that he meant no harm.

“Wait a minute...Octavio?! Like...the war general Octavio?! The Octarian leader Octavio?!”

“Clever, are you not? That is me.”

“But… I heard that Octavio was still in charge down there! If you’re Octavio, then who’s-?”

“Ah, that must be my son, then. I knew he would be restored. Dear girl, he is Octavio now. I am to be known as Tavi from now on, all right?”

Lynn desperately tried to ask Tavi questions, but her mind was racing so much that she just ended up sputtering random syllables, and sentences in the Salmonling language, much like a toddler speaking gibberish. Tavi gently put a hand on her head, ruffling her hair as he laughed. All of a sudden, they heard it.

“Lynn?” It was Marina.

“Dammit, out of all of the times she could have called for me…” Lynn mumbled to herself.

“No need to swear, dear girl. But you must go to your friend. I do hope that you will come and visit me again,” Tavi smiled.

“You...You can’t come?”

“I’m afraid not… but….Lynn, is it?”

“Yes?”

“I request that you not tell anyone about our little encounter, not even your friend. The time will come where she will meet me, but now is not it.”

“O-Of course.”

“Farewell, Lynn.”

“Goodbye, Tavi…”

With that, Lynn left Tavi’s little camp, and the leaves promptly closed behind her. Lynn didn’t have to walk too far to catch up to Marina, who promptly questioned her on why the work on the wall was started without her.

**********

All while Lynn was doing so, Yulia had been knocked out. Since her previous slumber had been awful, she was unconscious for quite a while after being whipped. She had woken up early the next morning, noticing how much the back of her head ached. However, feeling around, if there was a wound, it had been cleaned and taken care of. She wasn’t hit hard enough to do long term damage, but that didn’t mean that it didn’t still hurt. Yulia had then heard some mumbling, along with footsteps coming closer to her. She went limp and still pretended to be asleep, but whoever this person was knelt down, putting a cold hand on her forehead. 

“Are...are you awake?” A mellow, masculine voice said softly. Yulia opened her eyes to see a dark-skinned, dark-haired Octoling boy, staring down at her with emerald eyes. He reminded her of Marina…

“Good, good… You wouldn’t believe how much I heard your stomach rumbling while you were asleep. I went and got some food for you. This is Myrtle’s cooking. She’s a professional cook, so I’m sure you’ll love it,” he smiled, bringing a wooden spoon filled with some kind of stew to Yulia’s lips. Yulia was afraid to trust this boy, but the ravenous side of her took over, gratefully swallowing the rich liquid. It filled her entire body with warmth, and she had tasted...crab? How on earth did this Myrtle person get crab?

This boy had continued feeding Yulia until the entire pot was empty. He had put his hand back on her forehead, feeling her temperature.

“Hmm… You’re still a little warm. I’ll take you to see Myrtle when you get a little better. I don’t have any fresh water, but you can take a drink from my canteen if you’d like,” he said, bringing the container to her lips. Not worrying about how sanitary it was, Yulia took a huge gulp. 

Looking at this boy, Yulia noticed that he  _ really _ reminded her of Marina. He was very tall and skinny, with skin not quite as dark as Marina’s, but still relatively dark. Much like Marina, his tentacles were a black that faded to teal, though his were much shorter, about chin-length. His eyes were the same color as Marina’s, but his eyes seemed a lot...colder than hers. He wore a black satin jacket, black jeans, black fingerless gloves, and a pair of leather boots. All in all, very intimidating.

“H-How did you find me?” Yulia asked whenever she gained enough strength to talk.

“Whenever some of my peers saw blue light coming from the facility, they reported it to me, practically begging me to go inside and check the place out. I didn’t know what to expect. I...I didn’t know Inklings lit up,” the boy said, holding one of Yulia’s tentacles in his hand. Of course it was her glowing. She knew that it would get her in trouble.

“It’s more of a species variation...my father was a Firefly Inkling. But why are you taking care of me like this? Why are you not reporting me to Octavio or Dennis?”

“Well, I can’t exactly report you to Dennis, considering that I am Dennis.”

Yulia’s heart started beating a million times a second, and she jerked back, holding her arms out in self-defense. How could she be so stupid...again?! Dennis, however, remained calm, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

“Please, calm down. I have no intention of hurting you. I want to keep you safe. Octavio won’t get you. I can’t listen to Mama...she’s acting like a hypocrite. She’s better than this. She’s just been unstable after my sister died…”

Yulia slowly uncovered herself. “I-I’m sorry to hear that.” She was going to mention her own parents to try to make him feel better, but she decided to keep quiet. Dennis already looked tense enough. He quickly put his hand on her forehead one last time, the coldness of his hand admittedly feeling pretty nice. After that, Dennis stood up, offering his hand.

“You’re not warm anymore. We should get you to Myrtle’s. She has it closed so we can hide you in there. It’s too risky for you to go out there by yourself. Octavio has everyone in a panic. If we’re not careful, the people could try to take matters into their own hands, leading to a lot of unnecessary casualties in the process. I can take you to Myrtle’s, but in order to not look suspicious, we’re going to have to do something that I know you won’t like,” Dennis explained.

Taking Dennis’s hand, Yulia tried to pull herself up the best she could, but she had to borrow a lot of strength from the boy. She still felt rather weak, and jumped as she felt the gun at the back of her head once more. Looking at the weapon, she saw that it definitely resembled a Splattershot Pro.

“I swear on Mama’s life that I won’t hurt you. Just follow my directions. They’ll surely think that I caught you. If we’re lucky, word will spread to Octavio and he’ll stop pursuing you. It’s a win-win, really,” Dennis smiled. Yulia was trembling, but Dennis kept giving her positive affirmations, along with directions.

Upon exiting the facility, Yulia’s eyes hurt, but with Dennis’s nudges, she had to walk off. As they went into the city, plenty of Octolings and other Octarians looked at her. Instead of seeming afraid, they were oddly emotionless. She had expected them to mock her and congratulate Dennis for his catch, but no one said anything. One had even leaned forward and touched Yulia’s tentacles, watching it bounce. Yulia, wanting to seem like a shameful prisoner, hung her head, not letting anyone see her face.

After Yulia had taken her walk of shame through the city, they arrived in a relatively unpopulated area. No one was around, probably because Myrtle’s place was closed, giving them no place to go. Because there were no people around, Dennis calmed down, lowering his weapon. 

“Now that I’m not trying to ‘kill’ you, do you mind introducing yourself?” He asked relatively shyly.

“Of course… My name is Yulia...Yulia Tentatek. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dennis.”

“You as well, Yulia. I just wish that we could be giving introductions in better circumstances. You really don’t deserve to be here with a gun pointed at your head.”

“You don’t deserve to be living in a place like this.”

“Sure I do. The Octarians lost the war after all. It’s what we get for being inferior.”

Yulia wanted to cry out. She wanted to try to comfort Dennis. She wanted to try to convince him that the Octarians weren’t inferior. However, she had decided to keep quiet, not wanting to cause more trouble than she already had. Pretty much the entire canyon was afraid of her. The Octarians thought of her as a threat. However, as they walked, one thought completely dominated her mind.

Where on earth was Callie?! Was she even still alive? Would the Octarians really kill her? The thought of Callie being down here, all alone, probably unarmed, made Yulia shiver in horror. Dennis, thinking that it was because of him, backed off.

After some more walking, the two had reached a small yet cozy looking restaurant. Even though it was closed, it gave off some pretty warm, inviting vibes, and it was a place where Yulia felt welcome...until Dennis led her around the back, where a heavy door with  _ DO NOT ENTER  _ painted on it was her only way in. 

“All right, Yulia, this is Myrtle’s restaurant. She should be in there, but I’ll go in first to make sure. I promise that she’ll absolutely adore you. I wouldn’t bring you here if she thought otherwise,” Dennis smiled, opening the very heavy door. 

Whenever Yulia walked in the restaurant, the inviting vibes washed over her, and she almost felt as if she was in the small, jellyfish-run cafe in Inkopolis. There were a decent amount of tables, a small but neat kitchen, some stuff to make and serve coffee, pleasant wall decorations, and candles everywhere to give the place some light. An Octoling woman, presumably Myrtle, was cleaning one of the tables. Whenever Dennis called to her, she turned her head. Upon seeing Yulia, her face lit up and she flung the rag into the bucket of water, letting out a shriek. But… Dennis said that Myrtle would love her…

“Hang on, boo boo! Mama’s comin’!” Myrtle shouted, rushing toward them. To Yulia’s surprise, Myrtle had jumped over the counter that she and Dennis were standing behind, scooping up the Inkling in her arms and putting a hand on the girl’s forehead.

Myrtle was a relatively attractive young woman. She was a little on the shorter side and wasn’t skinny, but she wasn’t plump, either; she was a happy in-between. Her skin was very dark, similar to Marina’s, she had pleasant magenta eyes, and much like Yulia, her cheeks, nose, neck, and shoulders were covered in freckles. Her cyan hair was a bit past her shoulders, and while she let the front two tentacles hang, the back two were pulled up with a red elastic band. She wore a simple top that had a tribal-inspired print, tiki-print leggings, brown flip flops, and either hand supported a few bracelets. Myrtle kinda reminded Yulia of Lynn! All in all, Myrtle seemed like someone who was very laid-back, but she was actually incredibly hard working.

Myrtle, still holding Yulia in her arms, shot a worried look at Dennis.

“She’s tiny. They don’t feed her. We gotta feed her.”

“Myrtle, I don’t think that it’s because of lack of food. I think it’s just because-”

“SHE’S TINY, DENNIS.”

With Myrtle basically cradling her, Yulia just decided to give in, as she didn’t exactly know how to respond to a situation like this.

“What’s your name, bubba? Are ya fed? Are ya sick?” Myrtle asked. She was talking very quickly, and Yulia had to take some time to take in her thick Islander accent. Myrtle and Lynn would probably be good friends...

“My name’s Yulia… It’s nice to meet you, Myrtle,” Yulia smiled.

“See, it doesn’t matter that nearly the entire canyon wants to kill ya! Don’t worry ya little head ‘bout nothin’, bubba. I’ll love ya ‘til there’s no more love left in me!” Myrtle smirked confidently. There….was love left in her?! Yulia had already felt like she was Myrtle’s baby.

This love that Myrtle showed her reminded Yulia of the love her mother, Tatiana, had for her family. Tatiana, coming from an exotic Inkling family from the east, had developed her signature creativity by designing tapestry, her family’s traditional business for decades. Tatiana and her sisters had decided to make a living in Inkopolis by selling her tapestries in a small street booth. It did pretty well, mainly among the adults who owned homes and wanted to spice things up.

In the style of a cheesy love story, Tatiana had met Shaquarius Tentatek, her future husband and Yulia’s future father. At this point, the young Shaquarius was starting to take over for his ailing father, but also wanted to settle down and find a wife and companion of his own. Also in the style of a cheesy love story, the two immediately fell in love. Shaquarius fell in love with Tatiana not only because her creativity would be great for the company, but because of her personality. Tatiana was loving and gentle, but also fiercely determined and independent. She was a beautiful woman, inside and out. Her culture and her accent were phenomenal to Shaquarius. 

As for Tatiana, she absolutely adored him as well. Shaquarius was incredibly shy and meek, but had a huge heart. His competitors were his friends. He was naturally optimistic. He seemed like a very domestic person who wanted to live a simple, sheltered life, and Tatiana decided that she would spend it with him, as after a three-month whirlwind romance, the knot was tied and they were married. 

However, the news of their marriage was not news that everyone rejoiced over. Tatiana’s incredibly traditionalist family were outraged that their daughter had married a foreigner and left the family business to join a larger corporation. Tatiana, who wasn’t even on her honeymoon yet, had learned that her family had disowned her entirely and she was forbidden from seeing the sisters whom she adored. It broke her heart, but she was now starting the next chapter of her life with her new husband.

Life did go on, as six months into the marriage, Tatiana had come into work ecstatic, sharing with her husband that they were going to be having a baby. This was a glimmer of hope for Shaquarius, who at this point had to deal with the failing health of both of his parents. The expectant couple waited eagerly, and soon enough, Tatiana had given birth to a small yet healthy baby girl, who, of course, they named Yulia. It wasn’t long after Yulia’s birth, however, that both of her father’s parents passed. Because Tatiana’s family had disowned them and Shaquarius had come from two generations of only children, these three Tentateks were what the family-run company depended on. If something would happen, the company would have to be taken over by an outside source.

The pressure aside, young Tatiana now had a new responsibility in her life. Baby Yulia was a very whiny and squeamish little squid, constantly squealing and crying over nothing. As stressed as having a constantly working husband and a constantly bawling baby was a ton of work for her, but she remained humble, loving, and hard-working. If she did have some deep, dark depression and resentment, no one knew a thing about it…

However, as the reader may be able to tell by what Yulia had said in the past, this love and happiness could not last. About a year before Yulia had given herself up to go to Octo Canyon, Tatiana and Shaquarius had decided that they were going to try to spread their company to a distant tropic archipelago. This same archipelago was mentioned by Lynn, as it was the natural home of the Salmonids. You see, the Inklings see the Salmonlings as a savage race, when in all honesty, they are simply very traditional. If I had to relate their culture to our world, I suppose that their culture would be similar to Polynesian cultures of old. Lynn, very keen of her culture, warned Tatiana that the Salmonlings may not appreciate Inklings coming and trying to “modernize” them, but Tatiana simply told her that it was worth trying.

Tatiana and Shaquarius were to be gone for a month. Yulia, being a natural worrywart, freaked out whenever she heard of a tropical storm brushing up against the island. Of course, her parents pushed her worries to the side, telling her that they’d be fine. Her father promised that he would call her every night.

Yulia went to bed that night telling herself that her parents were safe. Though, whenever she woke up the next morning, there was a notification on her phone. Apparently the tropical storm had become a hurricane- Hurricane Lottie. It had hit hard, and several ships had went down in the process. Yulia waited all day and all night for a call, but none came. One never did.

“Boo? Boo?! Honey, why ya cryin’?! Did I hurt ya?!” Myrtle asked, wiping a tear from Yulia’s eye. Apparently all of that thinking had made her cry without her noticing.

“No, Myrtle. I’m okay. I’m all right. My eyes were just watering because….I have a cold. Yeah, a cold,” Yulia replied.

“A COLD?!”

“Myrtle, it’s all right. I bet she’s just under the weather,” Dennis reassured Myrtle, who was about to run into the kitchen to fix Yulia more to eat. It was a good thing that Dennis had stopped her, as Yulia didn’t think that she could eat another bite after that crab stew!

“Anyway, Yulia, I don’t think you’ve given us a proper explanation on why you even came down here. If it was for a certain reason, I’m pretty sure that Myrtle and I could help you and get you out of here as quickly as possible,” Dennis said, the three of them sitting down. 

“I don’t know if you’ve heard about this, but an Inkling pop icon, Callie, has went missing. Now, me saying  _ I don’t know if you’ve heard about this _ may sound stupid, but I’m only asking because it’s believed that she’s down here. If she is, I want to rescue her! My friend doubted me, and I want to show her that I’m strong enough to do it,” Yulia said. Dennis and Myrtle looked at each other nervously.

“Yulia, we can help you, but we’ll have to take you to a certain someone…” Dennis said.

“So she IS down here! Who are you going to have to take me to?”

“We’re going to have to take you to our leader. We’re going to have to take you to Octavio.”

Like the bass would drop in any good dubstep song, Yulia’s heart dropped. This Octavio...he was the person that those Octolings had alerted whenever she had bumped into them! He was probably after her by now. He probably wanted her dead, and Dennis would be bringing her right to him. Was this some kind of trick? Were Dennis and Myrtle spies? Were they just trying to be her friends just to bring her to their leader? The Inklings had passed down stories of the Octarian leaders despising Inklings, but Yulia had just figured that it was their old minds starting to wither away...were the stories true?

“If you take me to Octavio, I’ll surely die!” Yulia cried, Dennis trying to calm her down. 

“I don’t think Octavio has it in him to kill you. I should know, being part of his little army and all. Believe it or not, he’s actually kinda chill. Plus, even if he did want to kill you, I wouldn’t let him. This is all a game of trust, Yulia. You can either choose to trust us and get your girl, or choose not to trust us and let her stay down here in this miserable pit. Your damsel in distress awaits, and it’s all up to you to decide if her heroine is going to swoop down and save her just in time,” Dennis said, crossing his arms. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to beg her to stay. This really was all up to her.

As Yulia pondered this, she closed her eyes, entering a different dimension as she thought.  _ ‘On one hand,’  _ she thought,  _ ‘I could save Callie. She would talk about how I’m her hero, and even give me a little kiss if I’m lucky...but on the other hand, Octavio, or even Dennis, could completely destroy me. It seems that my life is on the line...but on the other hand, what’s the Squid Sisters without Callie? But...on the other hand, I can’t just save Callie and let these people suffer! Should I just leave now? Should I just forget these people and go home? No, I couldn’t do that! But...I have to make up my mind! What would my parents want me to do? What would Mr. Grizz do? Mr. Grizz would beat me upside the head if I gave up.... Mother would be horribly disappointed in me. I need to do this! I need to save Callie! For her...for Marina...for Mr. Grizz...for me!’ _

Once Yulia had decided, she looked up, seeing the nervous faces of Dennis and Myrtle.

“Well, do you know what you want to do?” Dennis asked Yulia, who nodded in response.

“Yes. I know what I have to do. I’d like you to take me to Octavio.”

Dennis nodded, and Yulia knew that this choice that she made would change the rest of her life. She also knew that she had no regrets.

**********

“Would you please just LISTEN TO ME?!” Fantine shouted at the top of her lungs. Here she stood, inside Grizzco, confronting the man that had caused her so much trouble.

Mr. Grizz just continued smoking his cigarette, not really taking this woman seriously. “Do I have to remind you, woman, that you’ve passed your stupidity down to the girl? Why would I risk her getting any stupider by seeing the likes of you?” Mr. Grizz replied coldly.

“I’m her mother! I had raised her for four entire years! It’s not like I wanted to give her up! I didn’t want her to see me in pain.... I have just as much of a right to see her as you do!” Fantine cried. Her voice was full of sickness.

“You’re the one who gave her up! Do you really think that you can call yourself her mother?

“Must I remind you that YOU were the one who left whenever I was pregnant?! You used me for sex!”

“You were the one who constantly assured me that you wouldn’t get pregnant! Then, you put the burden on me for raising YOUR bastard child. Besides, I couldn’t marry someone who had cancer. I have better things to do than sit at someone’s bedside.”

“IS SHE MY CHILD OR ISN’T SHE?! If she’s my child, then you should have no problem with letting me see her! I’m DYING here! I don’t have much time left, and I want to spend my final moments on this earth with my daughter... _ our _ daughter.

Mr. Grizz was the person who could easily bring out the bad side in Fantine. Years ago, he had seduced her, getting her to leave her husband, who promptly remarried and had three children. They had gotten on, and whenever Fantine had told him that she was pregnant, he ran off to Inkopolis, changing his name to  _ Mr. Grizz _ and founding Grizzco. Whenever Lynn was brought into his “care,” however, Mr. Grizz watched both her closely, trying to forbid interactions between Fantine and Lynn.

“Your Lynn is stupid. My Lynn is smart. My Lynn doesn’t stick her nose in other people’s business. Your Lynn put all of these fairy tales of saving a woman into the mind of my best employee!” Mr. Grizz glared.

“If that squid was so important to you, why did you not stop her? Why are you blaming this all on Lynn?!”

“Actually, never mind that. Though she’s stupid, I suppose that I should thank Lynn, actually. Tentatek was starting to get tired. My bribes weren’t working anymore. If I would have tried to fire her, I would have gotten into some hot water with that fancy-pants host family she’s living with. If your stupid girl wouldn’t have put all of those false ideas into Tentatek’s mind, I would have had to fire her myself,” he said, leaning back on his chair.

“What the hell is that poor Inkling to you? Do you like her? Do you not? You’re being so difficult! Whatever happened to the man I had fallen in love with so long ago? No, the man that I still love, no matter how much he mocks and shames me. No matter how much he hurts our daughter. Who...Who hurt you?” Fantine asked, leaning down.

“You did, woman.”

“Please, don’t take your anger with me out on Lynn. She’s innocent! She didn’t deserve your abuse!”

“Of course she is. That’s why you have to stay away from her.”

“No… You should be the one staying away from her. You may think that I’m stupid, but I’ll show you who the stupid one is.”


	4. Chapter 4

Lynn, not knowing that her mother and father were arguing over her behind closed doors, was having a conversation with Marina.

“So...mind telling me what you were doing in the woods that late at night?” Marina asked, crossing her arms and giving a suspicious look.

“Oh… I.. I was just having a meeting with a kahuna that had come into town. He...He was talking to me about my mother,” Lynn lied. She felt horrible fibbing to Marina, but there was no denying that she was good at it.

“Really? What did he say about her?”

“That’s not important, Sis. We need to get working on the wall.”

Marina was now incredibly suspicious. Lynn was one who usually told her everything...why did she just shrug such an important topic off?!

“Lynn, don’t you think the wall can wait? I mean, I’m sure this kahuna told you some pretty vital information on who you are! You’re really just going to keep it to yourself?” Marina said, putting a gentle hand on Lynn’s shoulder. 

“Look, Sis… He didn’t say anything! He didn’t know her very well! She was just sick, okay? I can’t focus on myself!”

“Lynn, you’re working way too much on that wall! You need to take your time. If you work too hard, you’ll just have to rest for longer periods. Can’t you….Do you have any clients you need to attend to?”

“Sis, how many people do you think just randomly need a fish stuffed and mounted? Besides, I never found use to the money. Food isn’t very expensive, y’know.”

Marina tried to find some other excuse, but she just sighed, looking at her friend sadly.

“Sis, I’m so sorry… I just can’t think straight, y’know. All of this change has really gotten to my head. You know I hate lying to you… T-The kahuna just wanted our meeting to be a private thing,” Lynn apologized.

“Lynn, since when have you listened to that? You tell me everything.”

“The kahuna seemed intent about not letting his identity be known. I don’t respect a lot of older folk, but I respect him. I oughta show that respect.”

Lynn had then embraced her best friend, sniffling as she held back tears. Why was Tavi making her do this? Lying to Marina crushed her soul! The two were nearly inseparable, but Lynn felt as if she and Marina were leagues apart at this moment.

“Lynn… You’re tired. We’ll do wall work another day. I’ve been working on petitions, maybe we could review those? Play some video games after? I don’t want us to fight like this. We’re sisters, and sisters gotta look out for one another” Marina encouraged. Of course, they were  _ figuratively  _ sisters, not literally sisters. Salmonlings couldn’t even breed with Octolings. It was obvious that unlike Lynn, who wanted to work herself to the core, Marina wanted to take her time and not overwork herself.

“I would like that...a lot…” Lynn replied. “Y-You know, I’ve been trying to revive the memories of my mother from whenever I was young… but I find it harder and harder to remember… I don’t even remember what she looked like anymore… I don’t understand why she gave me up. On the Islands, tribes were like family. I had an uncle and grandparents who could have taken care of me…”

“I’m sure that she did it for a good reason. After all, you would have never met all of your current friends if you hadn’t come here!” Marina said optimistically. Lynn simply smiled, nodding.

With that, the two walked off. Whenever they were near Grizzco, they both saw some kind of figure running out, but neither of them had gotten a good enough look at it to see what it was. As the reader may know, that figure was Fantine, who had just run off. No one could imagine the plan that this dying Salmonling woman had up her sleeve.

**********

“All right, Yulia, I suggest we stay here for the night. In the morning, I’ll take you to Cephalon HQ; that’s where Octavio’s base is. I doubt he’ll tell you where Callie is, but in order to save her, you have to get past him. It definitely won’t be easy, but I believe that if you have enough confidence in yourself, along with our support, you can do this,” Dennis smiled. Yulia went into deep thought once more.

Could she really just swoop in, rescue Callie, and then go on her merry way, leaving Dennis and Myrtle down here to suffer? After all, she had learned the hard way that this place wasn’t the thriving utopia that most of her species thought it was. They had no way to generate their own power, were stuck in a horrible, desolate region of the earth, were forced to live underground, and the economy was so bad that it seemed as if  _ everybody _ was in poverty! She didn’t know if she’d be able to leave knowing those facts.

While Yulia was deep in thought, Myrtle pulled Dennis to one of the back rooms of the restaurant, saying that she needed to talk to him and that it was very important. Whenever he had looked at her, he saw that her facial expression was that of a concerned big sister. This was uncommon for the bubbly, energetic Myrtle, but as she spoke, her voice was still calm and motherly.

“Dennis, bubba, when you gon’ tell that poor thing? Don’cha think it’s best t’get it outta the way?” Myrtle asked, her hands on her hips. 

“I can’t tell her, Myrtle! If I do, she’ll never trust me! She’ll probably run away on the spot!” Dennis replied defensively.

“Oh, shush, boy. She expects nothin’. She’s not gon’ run off...especially since you’ve pretty much convinced her that you wanna protect her.”

“If she learns that I’m Octavio’s son, she’ll think I’m setting her up! She’ll never go with me!”

“Who ya father is doesn’t define ya. If ya don’ tell her, she’ll learn the truth eventually. Ya can’t avoid it. Ya can’t keep leavin’ her in the dark.”

“Can’t we at least get her comfortable first?”

“Of course.”

The two had then exited the back room. Yulia still had her head down, but her intense moment of thinking had ended. Now she just looked sad.

“You all right, Yulia?” Dennis asked. 

“I-I just don’t understand,” Yulia said, quickly continuing before Dennis or Myrtle had a chance to reply, “I don’t understand why you guys are doing this for me. Sure, Dennis, you said something about your mom, but that still isn’t a good enough reason to help the enemy. I’m becoming your friend, and it’ll just make me feel even worse when I have to leave you...all of you...to rot away in this  _ hell _ while I go back and have a good time…I don’t get it!”

“I’m helping you because my d-...because Octavio has no right to hold an innocent woman hostage! For what? Trying to lure Inklings in here? Octavio’s father was a man whose final years of his life were plagued with anger and bitterness, to the point where he pledged to kill any Inkling that wandered in here! Upon his father’s death, Octavio apparently inherited this anger. I’m not going to let him be so angry anymore!” Dennis cried.

“Oh, Dennis! Are you all right?” Yulia cried. Before Dennis could reply, Myrtle gently nudged him back, cutting him off.

“Bubba, I want t’help ya because I’m a woman that cares ‘bout everyone, regardless of their race. Don’t be sad ‘bout us bein’ down here. We lost the war after all, boo,” Myrtle smiled, but tears just welled up in Yulia’s eyes.

“Myrtle, the war was decades ago! At the time of the war, there was no space on land due to rising sea levels, but now there’s a ton of space! There’s so many empty houses up in the city that the landowners don’t know what to do with them! There’s no reason that you guys can’t live with us. It shouldn’t be you down here! The Inklings won by pure chance while you guys were tactical and used amazing strategy! We should be stuck down here!” The usually timid girl cried, her tremulous voice filling the entire restaurant. Because of her intense emotions, her face lit up. “It’s not fair!”

Myrtle tried to calm Yulia down, but she kept shaking it off. “It’s not worth it, Myrtle. She’ll calm down in due time. There’s nothing we can do about it,” Dennis said, gently putting his hand on the girl’s shoulder.

_ ‘There’s nothing they can do about it, but there’s something I can do about it. These people need more faith in themselves. Perhaps I could try talking Octavio into taking action. These people don’t deserve to live like this. If I can’t convince Octavio to do something while I’m helping Callie, I’ll stay until action is taken and justice is served,’  _ Yulia thought to herself as Dennis and Myrtle had went to the kitchen to fix some supper.

Yulia hadn’t realized that evening was approaching. She was thinking so deeply that neither the crackling of the fire nor the sweet smell of the cooking food brought her out of this trance. She only snapped out of it when Myrtle slapped a heaping portion of meat and rice in front of her. Of course, it was about twice the size of her stomach.

“Oh, Myrtle… That’s very kind of you, but I usually only eat one meal a day. It’s nice of you to cook for me, though,” Yulia said. That was a mistake. Myrtle was set off like fireworks on Independence Day.

“WHAT?!” Myrtle cried, grabbing her own portion of the food, which was notably smaller than both Dennis and Yulia’s portions. “YA CAN’T LIVE OFFA DAT, YA CRAZY CEPHALOPOD! Here, bubba, eat mine, too! You’re probably starving, boo! Why didn’t ya tell me?” Myrtle asked, freaking out while Dennis had to hold her back. Myrtle kept sputtering out nonsense about Yulia nearly starving to death.

“Myrtle, it’s all right. Everything will be okay. Why don’t we go and get some tea to drink with our food?” Dennis asked calmly, Myrtle nodding as they walked back into the kitchen. Shortly after, Myrtle came out of the kitchen with a teapot, but the tea was...blue?

“One of my best friends, Mar, makes this at her house to get a little extra income for her family. She’s given me some to sell in my li’l ol’ shop. No one knows how she makes it, but it’s amazin’. I highly recommend it, bubba,” Myrtle said, pouring Yulia a small glass of tea. 

Yulia observed the drink, raising a brow. There was something unnerving to her about the color of the tea; if it were a little more opaque, it would be the color of her blood. 

Nervously, Yulia decided to take a sip of the tea. She had almost expected it to taste like blood, but much to her relief, it tasted like tea! Breathing a short sigh of relief, Yulia decided to take another sip….and another….and another. Soon, the entire glass was down. There was just something about this strange tea that made her always want more. It also made her realize how hungry she was and how good the food in front of her smelled. If this tea had some kind of drug in it, it was one that Yulia was okay with.

Dinner went well, and the three spent the majority of the evening talking about life in Octo Canyon, though it ended up with Yulia getting angry after Dennis mentioned the Octarians losing the Great Turf War. However, all good things must come to an end; Dennis had to go home whilst Myrtle prepared a space in her own home for Yulia to sleep.

Myrtle’s home was a small, four-room cottage. It had a decent living room, a small excuse for a kitchen (I say  _ ‘excuse for a kitchen’  _ because obviously, without any sort of power, Myrtle could not use appliances; her kitchen contained just an icebox and a fire pit), a bedroom with a shanty cot, and a bathroom that only contained a wooden tub and a hole in the ground, presumably a toilet. 

“You gon’ be awright on the sofa, boo? If not, I’ll give ya my cot. It ain’t a problem,” Myrtle smiled. Yulia quickly shook her head, politely telling the Octarian woman that she would be just fine on the sofa. It was definitely old, worn-out, and uncomfortable, but Yulia wasn’t going to complain. It was better than being pistol whipped and forced to sleep on the floor of a storage garage. 

“I suppose we’re to head off to bed then, Myrtle?”

“Well… There’s somethin’ I gotta tell ya ‘bout Dennis…”

Yulia’s heart felt like it was going to stop. She expected Myrtle to finally reveal the news that she was dreading: Myrtle and Dennis secretly worked for Octavio and were setting her up. She had expected Myrtle to suddenly lunge and capture her. Was that tea poisoned?!

“There’s somethin’ he’s not tellin’ ya,” Myrtle hesitated.

Yulia’s heart skipped a beat. Taking a deep breath, she was preparing herself for when Myrtle finally admitted it. 

“That boy, Dennis… He’s Octavio’s son. He didn’t wanna tell ya because he didn’t want ya runnin’ away. I tried to get him to tell ya, but he kept hesitatin’. I knew that I had to take matters into my own hands. Promise me that you’ll still stick ‘round, boo…” Myrtle said with a sad smile.

Yulia was incredibly tense. She wanted to run out of that house and go back into hiding, but she didn’t know if she could. Myrtle looked pretty fit. If Myrtle was able to catch her, there would be no way that Yulia could fight back. But… something hit her mind like a tsunami. This thought had scared her so much that she  _ had _ to change the subject!

“Myrtle...my Slosher! It’s gone!”

“Your what, hun?”

“My Slosher! My weapon! I’ll look like an idiot going and challenging Octavio without a weapon! Even if I don’t want to fight him, having my weapon would at least make him take me somewhat seriously!”

Myrtle sat beside Yulia, trying to calm the frantic Inkling down. “Bubba, it’s awright. You probably left it in that garage that Dennis found ya in. I bet he’d take ya to pick it up tomorrow. Trust me, no one’s gonna go near that garage, especially in the state that it’s in. You two can trot in there, ya can grab ya li’l weapon, and then go see the boss man. Piece of crab cake. Did someone ever tell ya that ya worry too much? It’ll all be okay… now, boo, get some sleep,” Myrtle said, hugging Yulia before going into her room, blowing out the candles that lit the cottage up.

Yulia didn’t actually know if she got sleep that night. For the longest time, she sat and looked out the window, watching as the projection of the sky changed from evening to night time, and eventually, whenever the authorities probably thought that all of the Octarians were asleep, the projection shut off, leaving the entire Octo Canyon covered in a black, inky darkness. This darkness was absolute vantablack, not accompanied by projections of a false moon and stars which would have added some kind of security.

For the majority of the night, however, Yulia sobbed. Yulia had sobbed for her friends, her family, her situation...but her tears were also for the Octarians: the people who had to deal with this darkness every night, living and dying without making any impact. There was nothing to do in this pit, and Yulia remembered that whenever she had heard that her parents were missing, she had thought that there was nothing to live for. However, she realized that it was the Octarians who had nothing to live for. They were born unnoticed by society, lived their lives, and died in the same state of misery that they were born in.

Yulia, though somewhat of a socialite, knew that this wasn’t an ideal life. That stupid war....it was so long ago, but the Octarians were still suffering from the aftermath! No Inkling had ever tried to make things better. They didn’t care! They just had their exciting lives on the surface while the Octarians suffered under their squiddy feet.

As Yulia lamented to herself, in what seemed like the middle of the night, Myrtle had emerged from her room, lighting the candles. Whenever the room was lit up once again, Yulia noticed that she had some handmade art supplies with her. Before Myrtle could notice that she was awake, Yulia buried her face in the sofa, closing her eyes and pretending to be asleep.

Whenever she was sure that Myrtle wouldn’t look in her direction, Yulia’s emerald eyes opened once more. Myrtle had set her easel down and pulled out a pencil, starting to sketch.

“Poor little bubba… She don’t know what she got herself into,” Myrtle mumbled to herself. As Yulia, not wearing her glasses, tried to figure out what Myrtle was sketching, her heart thumped as she saw that the sketch was of  _ her _ .

_ “My people are suffering and I have done nothing for them.” _

That old man! His words echoed in Yulia’s head. This seemed eerily like the state that the Octarians were in. Who was this man?! Was he some kind of prophet? Was he just some weirdo who washed up at the Salmonid Smokeyard? Thinking about this old man scared Yulia. It made her want to run.

Could Yulia get up and run? Could she escape while she was still able to? As much as she wanted to get up and take off, the warmth of the blanket compared to the cold, dank Octo Canyon seemed to lull her to sleep. She was in this state where she couldn’t run and couldn’t sleep; she couldn’t sleep because she wanted to run, but couldn’t run because she wanted to sleep.

Whenever Myrtle had finished sketching the drawing of Yulia, she mumbled some phrases that the Inkling couldn’t understand before starting to paint the piece with watercolors. Myrtle had checked on Yulia a few times, in which Yulia kept pretending to be asleep. Apparently she played the part well enough, as Myrtle didn’t look suspicious...or she knew and was just playing along with it.

In what seemed like a few hours, Myrtle had finished the painting, once again blowing out the candles and going to bed. She left the painting uncovered, obviously to dry. Yulia, whose glowing provided some kind of light, got off of the sofa, still wrapped in the warm, soft blanket, walking over and examining the painting. Finally, a time where her firefly heritage  _ wasn’t _ dangerous!

Something about the painting that had unnerved Yulia was the smile that she had on her face. It was an incredibly accurate smile...but it was one that Myrtle had never seen. Yulia had smiled a few times during her visit to Octo Canyon, but...it wasn’t  _ that _ smile. This was the smile that she would flash at Pearl, Marina, or Lynn whenever they made her laugh. It was a smile that she’d show her beloved parents. It was the dutiful smile that she gave Mr. Grizz when she reported for her twelfth Salmon Run of the day. It wasn’t the smile that she gave the Octarians. She was too afraid to. The smile in the painting seemed to mock her. She had quickly crawled back onto the sofa. She was no longer crying, but her lamentations continued. The projection eventually flickered back on to show the morning sky. Myrtle woke up for good, putting a tarp over the painting and starting the fire to cook some breakfast. She had mumbled something about cooking for three, so Yulia assumed that Dennis was coming over.

Still pretending to be asleep, Yulia had finally felt the small nudge from Myrtle, signaling that it was time for her to wake up. To keep playing the part, Yulia pretended to stir, letting out a false yawn and rubbing her eyes.

“Good mornin’, boo!” Myrtle cried happily, rubbing the girl’s head affectionately. “We’s gots a big day ahead of us! To help us get ready, I’m makin’ my specialty...lobster pancakes! Don’cha even give me them big ol’ puppy dog eyes, either. You’re eatin’ everything I give ya, bub.”

Ah, specialties. No matter how good or how bad you are at cooking, pretty much everyone has that one meal that they cook perfectly every time. For Yulia’s mother, it was a spicy rice dish from her home country...though it was considered way too spicy for most in the area. For Lynn, it was her macaroni salad, drenched in pepper. It didn’t have quite as much of a kick as her mother’s spicy rice-which Yulia happened to love- so it was a lot more popular. Marina especially liked it. Both Yulia and Pearl found it humorous to watch the Octoling constantly pester the Salmonling about the recipe, only for Lynn to brush it off like Marina never asked in the first place.

With Yulia getting hungry at the thought of the rice and the salad, Myrtle rushed into the kitchen to do what she loved most. Yulia got off of the sofa, stretching and keeping the blanket close to her. As mentioned, Octo Canyon was a very cold, dank place, and Yulia, decked out in a sleeveless dress, wasn’t fit to be in weather like this. At all. Her arms and legs were freezing! No wonder Myrtle had given her such a heavy blanket. Dennis looked awfully warm in his satin jacket and thick jeans, but Yulia wondered how on earth Myrtle survived in a loose-fitting top, leggings, and flip-flops. 

Speaking of Dennis, right whenever Yulia was going to lift the tarp off of the painting for one last look at that haunting smile, she heard a knock at the door. Myrtle had called on Yulia to answer it, saying that Dennis was the only person that it could possibly be. The old man’s voice echoed in her head as she reached for the door, but she had to ignore him for now. As Yulia opened the door, the Octoling boy rushed in rather quickly.

“Good morning, Yulia. You look well rested,” Dennis said. Yulia tried her best to smile, even though she was the absolute opposite of well rested. Exhaustion was finally setting in, and it hit her pretty hard. However, she wasn’t going to waste any time telling him about what was on her mind the night before.

“Dennis...my Slosher. It has to be in the garage. It has to be!”

“Your...oh, oh. Your weapon.”

“We’re going to get it back before I go to Octavio...right?”

“I don’t see why you need it. You don’t plan on fighting him.”

“I-I’d just feel more comfortable with it, y’know?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’ll take you if it’ll make you happy.”

With that, Myrtle slapped a serving of pancakes on Yulia’s plate. Myrtle whispered something to Dennis, and his face flushed. It looked like the life had left it completely.

“M-Myrtle told you, huh?” Dennis asked, for once not in his calm, collected demeanor.

“She did, but I’m not going to leave, Dennis. With Octavio as your dad, I’m fairly certain he’d go easy on me if you told him that we were friends.”

“I don’t know, Yulia. I shouldn’t lie to you anymore. He’s pretty chill, but he’s also kinda mean. He’s pretty intimidating, no matter how easy he goes on you. He’s not mean to my siblings and me, but...he and Mama haven’t had the best times lately. I definitely think he’ll startle you.”

“I’m sure I’ll be okay, Dennis.”

“I hope so.”

After breakfast, Yulia and Dennis headed out of the house, going back to the garage in which Yulia had believed that she left her weapon. It was still relatively early and many Octarians were still in bed, so Yulia was free to go without Dennis ‘capturing’ her. As the two had entered the building… her Slosher was gone. Instead, written in purple ink was “NOT SO CLEVER NOW, ARE YA? -OI”

Yulia felt as if she was going to faint. Dennis had to hold her up, as her legs had turned to noodles, pretty much giving out on her. “OI...Octavio Ida. Those are my father’s initials. That’s his ink color, too. Yulia…he knows. He knows you’re here. He knows that we’ve met. I should have known! Octavio’s commanders follow me like sheep! I...I put you in danger! I put everyone in danger!” Dennis cried. However, Yulia realized something else. Marina...her last name was Ida...

“How will Octavio take me seriously if I don’t have a weapon, Dennis?!”

“I’m going to find the commander that told Octavio, even if I have to interview everyone in this whole Goddamn canyon. Yulia… we need to go. Members of my dad’s forces could be anywhere. We need to confront my dad as soon as possible. I hate to admit it, but you’re in terrible danger right now,” Dennis said, quickly grabbing Yulia’s hand as the two ran out of the garage. They were now on their way to Cephalon HQ.

The walk was an incredibly long one, and not sleeping the night before had hit Yulia incredibly hard; in fact, about halfway through the walk she couldn’t continue, so Dennis had to carry her while she slept. It didn’t help that the weather was starting to give Yulia a cold, so Dennis had just assumed that the Inkling was sleeping the sickness away. Carrying Yulia was a breeze, as Dennis luckily had a strap on his weapon. He also shot a bit of ink on the ground and smeared it around the back of Yulia’s head, which would have made any suspicious Octarian think that he had either knocked her out or killed her.

Whenever Dennis had arrived at their destination, he quickly wiped the ink off of Yulia’s head and woke her up. The scenery had changed drastically. They were outside of the dome, letting the natural, fresh air set in...but nothing about this air was natural nor fresh. The sky was a purplish color while the surrounding area was full of murky, purple water; Yulia softly smiled as she imagined Lynn being delighted. Sticking out of the water were several tentacle-shaped rocks, obviously sculpted a long time ago. Rotting away in the murky pool were several UFO-like structures, which probably moved, but now their ultimate fate was to sit here, rusting and deteriorating. This place was probably paradise in the past, but now it was a decaying wasteland plagued in darkness. Yulia hated looking at it.

“Dennis… Please don’t tell me you live here,” Yulia said nervously. Dennis was staring at the largest UFO of the bunch, which was located directly in the center. Unlike the others, this ship’s opening was untouched by the water, making it the only one that wasn’t flooded.

“Even compared to a few years ago, this place has changed drastically. A few years ago, whenever we tried using a new source of power, we had enough to make these UFOs move...we could just hop across ‘em to get to our destination. Then...an Inkling came and took it away from us. Just like the rest of the canyon, this place fell apart...again. My dad had this bridge built so he could get to his base a little easier,” Dennis said, pointing to a bridge that looks like it was built out of scraps of stone, wood, wire, and metal. “My dad’s base is the only place here that has power, and even then, it’s limited. It’s close enough to Inkopolis that he can snatch some energy from the Great Zapfish, but still, no one knows how he does it. He meets with his commanders and tries to get it spread to more parts of the canyon, but he says that the Inklings must be figuring out that he’s using it, since they keep trying to cut him off. I know that he has Callie down there, Yulia. He wants to lure Inklings down there. I don’t know what he wants to do with them, and I don’t think that I want to. I don’t want his reputation to go sour like his own father’s did...No, I don’t live here. My siblings and I live in the city. I should really take you to meet them when this is all over.”

“Of course, I would love to meet them, but… I don’t understand, Dennis. If your dad kills Inklings, won’t it make him a hero to the people?”

“It’ll make him a hero to the people, but not to his children. I won’t allow innocent blood to shed because of him. My brothers and sister don’t deserve to witness their father doing this. It wouldn’t be what Marina wanted! Mama thinks that she’s this noble woman doing the right thing, but she’s misled! Poor, poor Mama!”

_ ‘Marina… Could it be…? Nonsense! There has to be more than one Marina. But...on the other hand, Marina did tell me that she had a brother. Marina and Dennis look really similar, and even have the same ink color. Though, on the other hand, Dennis had said that his sister had died, and Marina obviously isn’t dead! Marina would have told SOMEONE that she was the Octarian leader’s daughter….right?’  _ Yulia thought to herself. She wanted to ask Dennis about it, but he was obviously stressed, and she really didn’t want to make him feel even worse. Either there was some kind of misunderstanding and Dennis thought Marina was dead when she actually wasn’t, or Yulia was overthinking this way too much and it was a completely different Marina.

“All right, Dennis, all right. Please, just calm down. It isn’t good having you worked up like this,” Yulia said, trying to smile, but Dennis just looked miserable. “What else does your dad do at his base?”

“Well,” Dennis started, “he’s called DJ Octavio for a reason. From the time he was fourteen to the time Marina was born, he had a lot of free time on his hands and popped out songs like there was no tomorrow. The Octarians absolutely adored his music. It had apparently gained some attention in Inkopolis, and he even collaborated with the Squid Sisters. As far as I know, it was never released up there, though. Down here, it rocked the hearts and minds of everyone listening, and it made us desire to reach the promised land even more… Well, the Inklings nabbed our power sources before and after the collaboration, as you know. Thanks to them, it made it increasingly harder for him to make music, but he still tries his best with what he has.”

Dennis said  _ ‘thanks to them,’  _ but it hurt Yulia just as much as it would’ve had he said  _ ‘thanks to you.’  _ She hung her head, not being able to look Dennis in the eyes. Why were Inklings so horrible? Why did they WANT people to suffer?

Yulia couldn’t lament on this any longer. She had to find Octavio. She had to confront him and get Callie back. She was so close to doing what she had aspired to do! She was going to rub it right in Marina’s face! Yulia Tentatek was going to save the day AND save her idol! “Dennis, we need to go. Who knows what he’s doing to Callie in there,” Yulia suddenly said.

“My dad wouldn’t hurt Callie. Mama wouldn’t let him do anything bad to her,” Dennis replied as he led her across the bridge, toward the UFO. “It’s complicated, but trust me. She wouldn’t allow it. My dad doesn’t listen to a lot of people, but he listens to Mama...sometimes.”

Yulia nodded nervously as the two had gotten across the steep bridge, turning into their cephalopod forms to slip through the grates. Seeing Dennis turn into an octopus was rather funny for Yulia, as she had never seen one before. Marina never showed off her octopus form.

The inside of the UFO was rather small, but Dennis moved one of the tiles on the floor, revealing a large tunnel that led very deep into the canyon. There was a long ladder, and to Yulia’s surprise, dim lights softly illuminated the path. Dennis wasn’t lying...this place DID have power! Yulia also heard music from below, but before she could comprehend it, Dennis was already climbing down the ladder. She decided to quickly follow.

The more she descended, the louder the music got, as one would expect. It seemed to be inspired by dubstep, as the bass made the entire hole rumble. In fact, Yulia was nervous that the ladder would give out and she would plummet to the base below!

Finally, Yulia and Dennis had descended to Octavio’s personal base. The music was clear, and singing could be heard.... It was Callie! 

_ ‘Did...Did Callie come down here voluntarily? Did she just want to collaborate with Octavio again?! Was my entire quest useless?!’  _ Yulia thought to herself, blushing. She’d probably die of embarrassment if she pumped herself up, worked her friends up, and went on this grand quest to save Callie when Callie didn’t even need saved. 

“If you go in there and try to stop him, he’ll freak out on you. It’s best to try to talk some sense into Callie whenever my dad is out of the way. If you’re lucky, he won’t see you as a threat and just let you pass, but if he does think that you have potential...I’ll get him out of your hair,” Dennis said calmly. With that, he opened the door that led to Octavio.

Dennis went into the room, and after a few moments, Yulia heard the music slowly die down. “Yo, DJ? What’s the big idea? I was right in the middle of that verse!” Callie cried. There was something about Callie’s voice that just wasn’t right. It wasn’t the peppy, energetic Callie that her acting and singing careers portrayed her as. There was some muffled speech, but Yulia heard Dennis say that someone was here to see him. Bracing herself, she knew that it was time to reveal herself to Octavio.

_ ‘He can’t be that much different from Dennis, right? I’m sure he’s not even that scary. I’ll be fine,’ _ Yulia comforted herself as she waited.  _ ‘I bet he looks exactly like Dennis… After all, Dennis is kinda scary, so it would make sense.’ _

Our poor little Inkling was wrong. When Octavio came out of that room, she almost had a heart attack right on the spot. She expected a taller Dennis, but what she saw made her immediately understand why Octavio was considered intimidating.

Yulia thought that Dennis was tall, but Octavio was massive. He absolutely towered over her. He was tall, dark-skinned, and muscular; the complete opposite of her own father, who was very pale, very short, and very thin. The canyon’s weather obviously had no effect on him, as he sported no shirt, showing off his impressive muscles. He did have a jacket...but it was only buttoned around his neck, almost like a cape. His left arm was decked out in a tattoo sleeve showing intricate, traditional Octarian patterns and designs in the same magenta color as his hair, whilst his right forearm had a bright green X-shaped mark, but she wasn’t sure if it was a tattoo or simply a birthmark. To add to how simply he was dressed, he wore a pair of loose sweatpants, sneakers, ladder shades, and had a gigantic pair of headphones around his neck. His tentacles were styled in a small mohawk.

Pulling up his shades to reveal his piercing green eyes, Octavio looked the Inkling over. To Yulia’s surprise, he just started laughing...hysterically.

“Really, boy? REALLY?! You stopped my beats for THIS little plankton?! THIS was the Inkling that everybody was afraid of?! Li’l Mama, how the hell did you even SURVIVE this long?!” Octavio wheezed, still laughing at her. Yulia turned bright blue with embarrassment. Dennis just looked angry.

“Okay, Li’l Mama, tell me what happened. No, wait, lemme guess. You little squiddos have suddenly decided that the sun’s too hot up there and now you’re lookin’ for a different place to take over. You need more lives to ruin. Well, yaint comin’ here, that’s for sure.”

“N-No, sir, I’m here-”

“I know why you’re here, dummy. You want the woman.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, Li’l Mama, good luck with that. Thanks to our technology, I have Callie’s mind in a whole other plane of existence. She hates you guys just as much as I do. It’s about time y’all have something bad happen to you for once.”

Yulia looked down.

“Besides, if ya wanna get Callie, ya gotta get past me! Where’s your weapon, Li’l Mama? Oh, right! You and that traitor son a’mine were tryna be clever and hang out in that garage! Well, I guess it wasn’t all bad. One of my men is happily using the tool that you foolishly left behind. Really, you’re the one responsible for your own demise, Mama,” Octavio said, turning toward Dennis. “Did ya really think that you were that sneaky, boy? Ya thought I wouldn’t find out about you helping this squid? That’s treason, y’know.”

“You’d really fight a defenseless opponent? That’s horrible, dad,” Dennis replied.

“Why on earth do you care so much about this Inkling? After what they did to us?”

“Dad, she didn’t do anything! Her PARENTS weren’t even born when the war was taking place! She’s completely innocent! Because of that, I can’t let you hurt her! Do you really want to be like grandpa? Do you want to be cruel like he was?”

“I inherited his position, therefore I inherited his philosophy.”

“Dad, remember what happened to him! Do you really want that to happen to you?!”

The room went silent. Dennis and Octavio had one of the hardest staring matches that Yulia had ever seen. Looking at Octavio, Yulia sensed a quick flash of pain in his eyes before they went back to the normal indifference. 

“Go on, Li’l Mama. Go in and try to save your girl. Try your darndest to get her back, I dare ya. But don’t come cryin’ to me whenever your little plan backfires and Callie slaps ya silly. Meanwhile, I’m having a word with this traitor son a’mine,” Octavio said, grabbing Dennis by the collar of his jacket and leading him to one of the side rooms. Yulia was by herself. Callie awaited.

###    
  



	5. Chapter 5

###  Chapter 5

Yulia was still terrified from the encounter with Octavio, and certainly wasn’t ready to go into the room without Dennis. This boy was her saving grace, and she wasn’t ready to go and save the day without him. They were a team, and she wanted it to remain that way, even though he was taking the blame, as Octavio was probably chewing him out for helping her.

_ ‘It’s your fault he’s getting it right now. You’re horrible! Absolutely horrible! You’re just like any other Inkling!’  _ Yulia’s conscience screamed at her. She felt no tears, but she wanted to curl up in the corner and let it all out. Dennis had taken so much in her name, and she felt like she should be the one that Octavio was screaming at. Not wanting to go in, Yulia stood there, weaponless and defenseless, waiting for the person she relied on most to come back.

“Hey, DJ?! You done with that kid yet? We gonna keep goin’ or what?” Callie called out from the room, thinking that Octavio was still out there.

“Please, Callie, hold on! I’ll be there soon!” Yulia cried, only to hear an audible sigh and what sounded like Callie slumping out of boredom. 

After what seemed like ages, Dennis finally came out of the room, Octavio nowhere in sight. He looked fine, though Yulia had guessed that Octavio gave him a good shouting at.

“O-Oh, goodness… Dennis! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for this to hap-”

Before Yulia had time to finish, Dennis shut her up by tightly embracing her. Yulia returned the favor, burying her face in his shoulder as they both tried desperately to calm down. “Yulia, it’s all right. I’m doing the right thing, and that’s all that matters. Octavio’s fine, he’ll cool off in a bit. Though, I’m glad you waited for me. I have a way that we can get Callie back.”

Letting Yulia go, Dennis pulled a small jar out of one of his coat pockets. It was filled with a light green ink that had a certain sparkle to it. “This is apparently called low-tide ink. I had to steal it from someone, but it should do the trick. It would be easiest to load it into a charger and hit Callie from a distance. I hope you’re a good sniper, Yulia,” Dennis smiled, Yulia smiling back smugly. If only he knew that he was looking at the best sniper in all of Grizzco!

“By the look on your face, I’m guessing that you are. If you can get Callie with it, you can daze her and remind her of who she really is. Hopefully that will override anything that my dad did to her,”

“Dennis, that’s brilliant! But… who did you have to steal it from?”

“Well, uh… I had to steal it from Marie. She basically threatened to massacre the entire Octarian race if we didn’t give Callie back, so I had no choice but to splat her. As much as I didn’t want to hurt her, I can’t have her go and hurt innocent Octarians just because of something stupid my dad decided to do.”

Just whenever Yulia thought that Dennis couldn’t get any cooler, he goes and splats Marie, who was someone that she looked up to for her sniping more than her singing. Dennis had robbed a celebrity. Was it a crime? Yeah. Was it cool? Oh, yeah.

“So, you really think I’ll be able to hit Callie without splatting her? I-I’ve never tried to hit another Inkling on purpose, I’ve really only shot at Salmonids…” Yulia said nervously, Dennis putting his hands on her shoulders and giving her a stern- yet gentle- look. 

“Well, Yulia, you have to try. Callie’s future depends on this. In a way, the future of Octo Canyon depends on this.”

“I know, Dennis… I want to reunite Callie with her parents, her grandpa, her fans… I want to reunite her with Marie so they can keep making more music! Besides… I can’t let Octavio do this! If I don’t save Callie or die trying, who knows how many more Inklings he’d kill…”

“That’s right, Yulia! Now, before we do this, we need to get you a charger. Follow me,” Dennis said, grabbing Yulia’s hand. Together, the two walked off to a distant room that was chock full of assorted weapons.

“This is where my dad’s commanders store their weapons. Dad trains his commanders vigorously in every type of weapon, even the new ones. Occasionally he’d send a few of his trusted soldiers up to the surface to steal weapons from a store there,” Dennis said.

Of course. Yulia remembered. She remembered there being several frantic news headlines about Ammo Knights being robbed. Stealing weapons was how she had bumped into Marina…

“How on earth did you guys get to the surface? What’s stopping you from going up there now?” She asked.

“There’s two exits that can lead out of Octo Canyon. The first is through an old, abandoned subway station, but there’s two walls that block us: one is right at the entrance to the canyon while the other is closer to the surface. Determined Octolings can try to escape via the pothole that you fell through, but they’d have to be pretty good at climbing. Though, even if they were, Octavio usually has the entrance heavily guarded so no one  _ can _ escape. He says that we’ll reach freedom when the time comes and that there’s no use leaving, since the Inklings would just kick us back down here anyway. How the entrance was somehow unprotected when you fell was nothing short of a miracle,” Dennis replied. Yulia nodded. It seemed as if the only way the Octarians could escape would be if the walls were broken.

Yulia looked at the chargers, secretly hoping that she would find her own Slosher whilst browsing them. Unfortunately, however, it was nowhere in sight. Being an older model of Tri-Slosher, it was much more powerful than the newer model. With a commander using it, he could probably blow any Inkling to smithereens. Shuddering, Yulia quickly grabbed a Squiffer. The label was heavily scratched, so she couldn’t tell if it was the Classic or New Squiffer. It didn’t matter, though. It was her best charger.

Giving the Squiffer to Dennis, Yulia watched as he filled it with the low-tide ink. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot of it. From what Yulia could measure, there was enough for one full-charged and one half-charged shot. As Dennis handed the weapon back to her, Yulia’s face displayed confidence...for once. This time, she grabbed Dennis’s hand as the two exited the room. It was time to find Callie and bring her back to safety.

As this Inkling and Octoling, two vastly different creatures in species, upbringing, and personality, walked hand-in-hand, it showed that there  _ could _ be peace if people would just try hard enough. This unification was what Lynn and Marina were fighting so hard to achieve...and this unification is what Yulia decided that she was going to fight for. They had finally reached the open room, walking in together.

The room was completely black, which immediately caused Yulia’s body to react and start to glow, which immediately revealed her location to whoever might have been in the room. The two heard a faint laughter before the lights suddenly flashed on like an exploding Burst Bomb, revealing a huge DJ’s booth! The bottom level was decked out with rather outdated equipment and loads of wasabi; this level was most likely where Octavio sat before Dennis had lured him out of the room. The exterior was completely decked out and decorated, but what really caught Yulia’s eyes was the giant, robotic fists in the center, which looked like they could easily squash her. Fortunately for Yulia, there wasn’t enough power to make the fists move, so they were permanently attached to their sockets. As cool as the entire display was, the main attraction was located on the top level.

On the platform stood Callie, who was somewhat unrecognizable. Her yellow eyes, usually bright and energetic, were covered by shades that seemed to have LED lights embedded in them, as they were flashing in colorful patterns. She had apparently decided to ditch her regular getup for more octopus-inspired gear, such as her headpiece, earrings, and a fake tattoo on her hip, which was visible due to her cropped top. She also sported black leather gloves, purplish, sparkly tights, and high-heeled boots that could probably kill her if she happened to trip and fall. Yulia was actually pretty turned on by the look, but she had to quickly shake it off. By the pouty look on Callie’s face, different from the one she would give Marie whenever they hosted Inkopolis News, Yulia knew that something wasn’t right.

“Yo! Half-pint! Who in their right mind gave YOU the permission to distract the DJ like that?! We were in the middle of makin’ some sick beats, y’know. Ah, what the hell. Kids like you have no respect for adults these days,” Callie scolded as she struck a sassy pose. There was something about her voice that sounded almost robotic. Yulia knew that it wasn’t right. It...It wasn’t Callie!

“M-Miss Callie… I can’t let you go on like this! I had to distract Octavio! This isn’t you! Why did you give up the life you were leading to come here of all places?” Yulia asked. Callie seemed to be someone who was high on life...Why, then, did she just decide to give it all away?

“You Inklings are all the same. You’re all no good. My heart belongs with the Octarians now. Squids like you can scram and go find some other celebrity to pester,” Callie replied, striking another pose. Hypocritical much?

“Luckily for you, dirty squid, I don’t need the DJ to jam out! Imma drop the sick beats myself! You better enjoy this performance, ‘cause it’ll be your last,” Callie said, dropping to Octavio’s level and turning on the stereo. The music started playing, and Callie pumped up the speakers, causing this music to absolutely blast. Callie quickly went back to her own platform, starting to do some kind of dance.

Because of how loud the music was, Yulia couldn’t get very close to Callie, as the loud noise was already hurting her rather sensitive ears. She would have to rely on the power of the Squiffer to get Callie back. The Squiffer wasn’t the best in range, but Yulia was a Profreshional. She knew what she was doing.

“Yulia, it’s the glasses! You need to hit her glasses! My sister was an expert with this kind of stuff! I remember her telling me about some kind of mind control technology that assumed the form of headgear! Yulia, you need to get those glasses off of her so Octavio can’t control her anymore!” Dennis practically screamed, trying to get Yulia’s attention over the blaring music. At this point, Callie had started to sing, which made it even louder. At the one time where Yulia  _ didn’t _ want Callie to sing, she was.

“I need to hit her when she’s facing me! I need to make sure that I use my fully charged shot on the glasses. We can’t risk not breaking them. If I’m able to hit her, I can use my remaining shot to break the stereo and stop the music! This is the only way that our plan will work!” Yulia replied, gulping as she got into position, aiming the Squiffer right at Callie’s head. Yulia seemed confident on the outside, but on the inside she was wailing. This would be her first time shooting an Inkling.

Whenever Callie’s dancing allowed her to face Yulia, the firefly Inkling pulled the trigger. Yulia was indeed a good sniper, as the force of the shot hit both Callie’s head and the shades. The shades snapped completely in half. Luckily, the ink that got on Callie’s head wasn’t enough to splat her, but it did leave her dazed. Yulia cried out in delight, Dennis putting a hand on her shoulder.

“The stereo! Shoot the stereo, Yulia!” Dennis cried, Yulia nodding. With the remaining ink, she shot the device, breaking it and putting an end to the blaring music. The room reverted to dead silence, much like the silence that Yulia had experienced whenever Dennis had stood up to his father.

“H-Hey… HEY! Half-pint, you’re really ticking me off. You broke my shades in half, you dunderhead!” Callie cried, holding the broken headgear in her hands.

“Miss Callie, I did what I had to! Octavio is using you to harm Inklings!” Yulia cried as she handed the Squiffer to Dennis and slowly walked toward her idol. She felt horrible, but this was the only way that she could change Callie’s mind.

“You’re lyin’, half-pint! Octavio’s gonna save the Octarian race from your oppression, and I’m gonna be a part of it! So what if a few people die in the process?”

“Callie, you’re being horrible! You’re half Inkling yourself!”

“Shut it, half-pint! That don’t matter! I’ve got Octarian blood in me thanks to my dad!”

“But...Marie? You’d really leave Marie behind?”

“She doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Cal,” a voice said. This voice belonged to Marie, who had watched this entire encounter, waiting for a time to make her grand entrance. Callie visibly shuddered as the second Squid Sister entered, clad in a kimono. She quickly shot a glare at Dennis, recognizing who mugged her, but she didn’t have time to scold  _ him.  _ She had a cousin to scold.

“Callie, you’re being absolutely ridiculous. Octavio isn’t going to do anything with the Octarians. He hasn’t done anything the entire time he’s led them. You’re wasting our time. I’m not letting my career flop because of you being childish!” Marie scolded. Callie, who  _ was  _ being pretty childish, pretended not to listen.

“I suggest you listen to your cousin, Miss Callie. She’s very wise,” Yulia chimed in.

“Why do I have to listen to a kid like you?!” Callie replied.

“This kid cared about you enough to come down here and try to rescue you!” Marie yelled.

“Shut it, grandma!” Callie mocked.

Marie and Yulia shot each other a look, but they immediately knew what the other was thinking. They knew that they would have to work together to change Callie’s mind. Marie was surprised that someone as frail and shy as Yulia even managed to get this far, and Yulia was trembling in her shoes, not wanting to make a fool of herself in front of the Squid Sisters, whom she absolutely adored.

“M-Miss Callie, what will happen to the Squid Sisters if you decide to join the Octarians? You are loved in Inkopolis! You have so many adoring fans! I’m one of them! I attended all of the Splatfests! I’ve watched several concerts on TV! Whenever you and Marie sat in Inkopolis Square, I remember crying tears of joy whenever you waved at me. Miss Callie, I’m not the only one. You made so many people happy. You were able to make people smile; even through the hard times, you’d make them happy for a while. Does this truly mean nothing to you?” Yulia smiled, trying not to tear up.

“It did mean something to me...Then they replaced us!” Callie yelled.

“Oh, Callie, they didn’t replace you! Don’t you remember? You wanted to move onto bigger and better things! Off the Hook were just newcomers at that point, and you gave your spots to them in order for them to get recognized! Look at them now! They’ve never forgotten you! They’re huge fans! Pearl has posters in her room. Marina watches your videos religiously,” Yulia smiled nervously. At the mention of his apparently deceased sister’s name, Dennis tensed up.

“Callie, we have that tour next month, and don’t think for a second that I’m missing it. I’ll drag you out of this canyon with your tentacles tied if I have to,” Marie sneered.

“Please… I don’t think threatening will work in a situation like this,” Yulia said gently. Marie was about to give some kind of snarky remark, but calmed down quickly and nodded, letting Yulia take over once more.

“Miss Callie…Do you remember performing down here? You changed the heart of so many people. You opened their hearts and released their souls. You made them realized that they were missing out in life. You made them look to the sky and desire more. Marina tells me stories about it. She told me that for once in her life, she didn’t feel like she was being strangled. She felt freedom. Your music caused her to fight against all the odds and escape to Inkopolis, her new home, where she’s loved and appreciated. Because of your music, she’s met her best friend, whom she loves more than anything on this earth,” Yulia smiled sadly, hearing Dennis let out some kind of cry, as if she had been injured. Her heart broke in two.

“I…” Callie mumbled, holding her head.

“Think of life beyond your career, Cal. Think of us. Think of your family!” Marie said. “What would your parents think of this kind of behavior?”

Callie paused, her eyes widening.

“Aunt Mareanie...Your mother...She’s going nuts! She’s made herself so sick that the whole family’s had to move in and take care of her! She’s practically a vegetable! She’s already lost Shelby, she can’t lose both of her daughters!” Marie cried. At the mention of Shelby, Dennis looked like he’d been stabbed.

“GAH! M-Mama…?” Callie whimpered.

“Your father’s not very happy, either. You know that you were his joy… His little Cal-Cal...You really don’t want him to mourn you for the rest of his life, do you?”

“Yeah, I guess he’d be pretty upset..”

“Man, you should’ve SEEN the disappointment in Gramps’s eyes whenever I told him that one of his precious grandbabies left to join the Octarians, whom he so gallantly fought off in the war,” Marie finished. Callie’s eyes flashed with so many emotions. She clutched her head tighter before she finally snapped.

“I….I can’t...I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!” Callie cried, jumping off of the platform and running over to the group, embracing her cousin. Marie smirked at Yulia triumphantly, returning Callie’s embrace.

“Now...Never do this again, Callie.”

“I won’t, Marie…” Callie sobbed.

“Don’t cry, Miss Callie. You were at a point in your life where you felt lost. You thought that you’d be able to find yourself by doing this. You’ve realized your mistakes and have been forgiven for them, it just took a bit of convincing. Now you can go home with Marie. You can make things right with your family. I’m sure your mother will be brought right out of her sickness whenever she sees you!” Yulia smiled.

“You should probably come with us, half-pint… I’m sure your mother would feel a lot better, too,” Callie said, using the nickname as more of an affectionate remark rather than a degrading one. Yulia quickly contradicted her own statement, as now  _ she _ was the one holding back tears. Of course, Callie had no way of knowing that her parents were probably dead. Yulia wasn’t going to ruin the moment.

“Well, Miss Callie, I don’t think that I’m ready to go back to Inkopolis yet. Marina’s soul wasn’t the only one that was freed. She was just the only Octarian to seriously take action. I’m going to do what you wanted to do and help the rest of them come to Inkopolis, the land that we all truly deserve to live on. No one should be stuck living down here, and I’m going to make sure that no one has to,” Yulia said, trying to smile, at the same time letting a few tears slip.

Letting Marie go, Callie went to embrace Yulia this time. This was an absolute dream to the blue Inkling, who quickly hugged her idol tightly. She was in heaven. Callie was HUGGING her!

“Come on, Cal, let’s go. And, uh...kid? Whenever you get outta here, if you do, call this number, and we’ll give you our autographs or something,” Marie said, taking a slip of paper out of her pocket and putting it in Yulia’s dress pocket.

“Are you really sure that you want to stay down here?” Callie asked.

“I’m certain...But, Miss Callie?” Yulia asked, looking up at the Inkling that she practically worshipped.

“Yeah, half-pint?”

“T-Tell Marina I’m sorry…” Yulia said, wiping tears from her eyes. To her utter surprise and delight, Callie’s lips gently pressed against the top of her head as she let the embrace last a few seconds longer. Finally, she let go, said her goodbyes, and left with her cousin. Yulia stood still for a while, but eventually broke down, falling to the ground and letting it all out. Dennis rushed to her side, embracing her as tightly as possible.

“Yulia… Why are you crying? Why are you sad? You did what you wanted to do!” Dennis said. He was crying himself.

“I’m crying because CALLIE KISSED ME! I’m crying because I’m so happy!” Yulia bawled, wiping her eyes. “She hugged me! She kissed me! She has a nickname for me! Th-This is the best day of my life!”

“M-My sister… Marina Ida… She’s alive, isn’t she?”

Yulia nodded.

“She’s famous?”

Another nod. Dennis was happier for Yulia, but he was even happier for himself! His sister, his best friend...Alive! People loved her just as much as he did!

“Yulia...Even if you can’t free Octo Canyon, you’ve made my life so much better. I-I’ll never hurt another Inkling for as long as I live. I’m so glad to be able to call myself your friend.”

“Me too, Dennis. But saving Callie was just the beginning. It’ll be a lot of work, but we can do anything if we put our heads together.”

“Stay right there, Yuls,” Dennis said, finally addressing Yulia by the nickname that he had mustered up in his head, “I’ll go and take this Squiffer back so none of the commanders get suspicious. After that, we can get out of this place. I’ll be with you every step of the way, I promise,” Dennis said, holding Yulia’s hand for a split second before he grabbed the weapon, bounding off. Yulia quickly registered the number that Marie had given her into her phone before putting both the device and the paper away.

**********

Whilst Yulia had her hands full trying to save Callie, Marina and Lynn were inching their way toward success. Marina had decided that she would do all of the writing, as the Inkling language wasn’t Lynn’s first language, giving her an awkward style of writing and even talking. Yes, she was brought to Inkopolis whenever she was four, but her mother specifically requested her to be taught by a Salmonid tutor, who didn’t teach her anything about living in Inkopolis. She grew up as a regular Salmonling would have grown up, becoming fluent in the Island language and knowing of the Salmonling traditions, not the Inkling ones. Lynn wouldn’t have learned the Inkling language at all if Pearl’s mother, the kind Mrs. Houzuki, hadn’t found her and asked how old she was. Lynn, at about seven years old, had no idea how to respond, and had a mental breakdown. With that, Mrs. Houzuki took Lynn under her wing and taught her the language. This was two blessings in one, as Lynn also became good friends with the three children: Pearl, Emperor, and Prince.

Pearl, long before she became the somewhat violent and loud-mouthed Inkling that she’s known for being, was a fun-loving and outgoing little girl who had pretty much taken in the Salmonling as a sister, much like Marina had. In fact, Pearl, Marina, and Lynn were all like sisters to each other, having formed the Sisterhood. Yulia… In that family, Yulia was either the dog or the adopted child: not exactly part of the main circle, but nonetheless loved very much.

Of course, Pearl wasn’t the only Houzuki child to befriend Lynn. Prince, who was very young whenever he met Lynn, practically grew up knowing the Salmonling, who he never saw as any different than himself and his family. Lynn pretty much adopted Prince as her son, giving him advice, taking care of him, and becoming one of his best friends. Lynn would honestly lay down her life for the lad. Emperor, however, seemed to have trouble with understanding the culture that Lynn came from. Whenever Lynn explained to the family that Salmonlings didn’t carry money and shared everything they made, Emperor took it as a personal insult, not being able to understand how in the world someone could live their whole life having never even  _ looked at _ a piece of money. Such an acquisitive person usually would have set Lynn off into a blind rage, but, in the style of a cheesy movie marketed at pre-teen girls, Lynn had fallen in love with the boy as soon as she laid eyes on him. Her early crushing on him was actually rather sad, as she would fantasize Emperor falling in love with her to deal with her incredible loneliness, considering that her father practically neglected her and mistreated her. However, as the two grew up, this way of coping turned into a genuine love and adoration. Both Pearl and Marina thought it was adorable.

Anyway, while Marina did the “office work”, as they called it, Lynn, who was excited by heavy labor, did exactly the opposite. She worked pretty hard on destroying the walls that contained the Octarians in the canyon, but the thickness and the size of the stones used were a real challenge. She didn’t get a lot of work in due to only being able to work at night, as they realized that they could get arrested for this plotting, but as of now, Lynn wasn’t in that much of a hurry. They still needed approval for the Octolings to move in, which would be through Marina’s literary works.

But, it wasn’t nighttime. Lynn and Marina weren’t together right now, as we must not forget that Marina  _ did _ still have her job to do. Lynn decided to make the most of this free time and go to visit Tavi. Deciding to treat this old man who had lived in the woods for so long, she prepared the two of them a nice lunch: a traditional dish that she learned from her tutor.

“Tavi? Tavi?” Lynn called whenever she had reached the spot once again. Once she had reached his camp, she found the tree in which he hid in, but was surprised that she didn’t see his friendly face whenever she moved the leaves.

“Tavi?” Lynn called out nervously, leaving the camp and scanning the surrounding area. The forest was so big, he could honestly be anywhere! What if he slipped and fell somewhere?! Yes, he seemed fit, but with his age, who knew if he was able to get up. Lynn blamed herself. Why the hell did she let this old man live out in the woods by himself?! Her cabana was very small, but it  _ did _ have a bunk bed. She could just sleep on the top and let Tavi sleep on the bottom!

Suddenly, whenever Lynn was frantically running, trying to find him, she swerved, slipped, and nearly hit her head against a tree as she saw him leisurely walking, a fishing rod in his hands.

“Lynn? Are you all right, dear?” Tavi asked, as if he didn’t know that Lynn had swerved to avoid having a head-on collision.

“I was looking everywhere for you! I wanted to surprise you and bring you some lunch…”

“Oh, how kind of you!”

“Y-Yeah…”

With that, Tavi offered his hand, helping Lynn up. It was slightly embarrassing for Lynn, who had to be helped up by an elderly man. But… Tavi was different. He wasn’t like Craig Cuttlefish or the salty old veterans who were still as racist as they were during the war. Tavi... was kind, gentle. He lived this horrible, isolated life because he knew that the Inklings would not accept him. As Lynn mentioned earlier, she wasn’t one who had a lot of respect for elders-minus the Salmonling elders- but Tavi was a big, BIG exception. Yes, she had used the term  _ kahuna _ as a cover-up for Marina, but….he really  _ was _ a kahuna to her.

Whenever the two had gotten back to Tavi’s camp, Lynn served him some of the food, making sure that she gave him the portion with the cooked fish rather than the raw, as Inklings and Octolings, unlike Salmonlings, cannot eat raw fish. She was worried that he wouldn’t like the dish, due to its tropical flavors, but he seemed delighted….It was probably just nice to eat something different for once.

“Tavi… I have a question for you,” Lynn asked, changing the subject from fishing, which was Tavi’s hobby.

“Of course, Lynn. Ask me anything,” Tavi replied.

“Whenever we first met, you didn’t even ask about my species. Most Inklings, even the ones who did Salmon Runs, had never seen a Salmonling until they met me. Usually whenever I meet new people, they question it. Why didn’t you?”

“Lynn, after decades of experience on this earth, I’ve learned not to judge people based on their outward appearance. I’ve done some things in the past that I’m not very proud of, and after having eighteen years to think about it, I believe that there’s still time for me to redeem myself,” Tavi said sadly. Lynn looked like Tavi had just slapped her across the face.

“Ka...Kahuna….What did you do?”

“After the Great War, the Octarians didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know what to think. For a while, especially when raising my son, I tried to tell myself that we deserved the fate that we were given. However, by the time my son was a teenager, I was a different man. I hated Inklings. I cursed them every single day. I threatened to take my revenge through bloodshed. I constantly preached about starting another Great Turf War and taking the Inklings down.

Dear Lynn, whenever my son was married and my grandbaby was born, everything changed. I remembered my own sweet Mareanie…The daughter of one of my best friends before the war, Craig Cuttlefish. Oh, that girl was such a delight growing up! She referred to me as  _ Uncle Tavi, _ but she revealed to me later in life that she saw me as a second father. She filled my days with so much laughter and joy... and she’s an Inkling.

However, the damage had been done. My threats of war and violence infuriated the people. I won’t get too into it, but…” Tavi trailed off, slowly moving part of his hakama aside to show a rather large scar, definitely from some kind of stab wound. Lynn’s eyes widened. She fell to her knees before the Octoling, looking up at him sadly.

“Kahuna Tavi,” she said, “I can’t let you live like this anymore. You’ve been by yourself for eighteen years. You’ve been in this personal purgatory for nearly two decades! I know that we don’t know each other very well, but I don’t care. I want you to come and live with me.”

“Dear Lynn, I’m absolutely flattered by your offer, but I’m afraid that I cannot.”

“Tavi, you must! I insist! I know I have no right to do this, considering that I am so young, but… I demand!” Lynn cried. As she was getting worked up, her false accent was breaking and her native Salmonling accent was coming back, as it did so often. It was your stereotypical “Islander” accent, except she had a bit of trouble pronouncing her  _ R _ s, so if a word began or ended with an R, Lynn often rolled it and drew it out quite a bit.

“Lynn, why are you getting so worked up, my child?”

“Kahuna, I respect you! I cannot have you living in the woods any longer! You have been by yourself for eighteen years! That’s longer than I have been on this planet! Please, let me take care of you.”

“Do you really want to?”

“I live for others. If you do not accept my offer and continue to live in is… issso...Dammit, I forgot the word!” Of course, Lynn was trying to say  _ isolation _ . “If you continue to live by yourself, you will surely break my heart.”

Tavi let out a little bit of a chuckle, gently brushing Lynn’s hair away from her sweat-covered face. “My child… I do not wish to break any more hearts. Whenever the sun sets, I will go with you. Now, I want you to calm yourself down. Shall we take a trip to the beach? You look like you need to wash your face,” he smiled. Lynn, whose face was red due to both her hot-headedness and her embarrassment, nodded, and the two stood up, walking toward the direction of the abandoned beach on the outskirts of the forest.

“You know, Lynn, I was talking to a very kind Salmonling lady whenever I was out fishing earlier. She looked a bit like you. Do you have any relatives from the area?” Tavi asked as the two took their leisurely walk.

“I’m afraid not. My only known living relative is my father. My mother died whenever I was very young. I have my grandparents...my mother’s parents, an aunt, and an uncle, but if they’re still alive, they live on the Islands. I’m guessing she was just one of the Salmonlings stationed at some of our reclaimed locations. We Salmonids aren’t very big on disturbing nature, so we just kinda take over abandoned locations from wars and such. It’s where we try to store our Golden Eggs, which are sort of a natural resource for us… but for some reason, the Inklings  _ really  _ want them. Ah, Tavi, am I boring you?”

“Of course not. I have not seen a Salmonling for so long. I used to be on very friendly terms with them. Dear Lynn, back before the Great Turf War, ships used to go back and forth between the Islands and the mainland. It was on one of these ships to the Islands that I met my darling Mahi, who I eventually married and had my son with. The chief at the time, Keahilani… Have you read of him?”

“Tavi… Keahilani is STILL the  _ ali’i!  _ You’re telling me that you knew him?! And… Salmonlings were allowed to come to the mainland? Usually the  _ ali’i  _ wants us to stay in the Islands, but I suppose I was an exception.”

“More than knew him, dear. Both Mahi and I were close friends with him. So often, he, his family, and a few villagers would come, we would have grand, exciting house parties. Of course, I would invite my dear friends, Inkling, Octoling, and other, and the species would meet in one house with no judgement and no prejudice. Ah, those were the times, dear Lynn…”

“I bet they were… Those are the times I strive to bring back, kahuna. But… I need to know. This woman you talked to, did she give you a name?”

“Unfortunately, she gave me no name of her own, but she did mention something about someone named  _ Leimomi. _ ”

Leimomi. There was something about that name that rung a bell in Lynn’s head, but she didn’t know what on earth it was. There was something about that name that was so familiar to her, as if she had heard it before. She mumbled it to herself a few times. It felt like the name of an old friend. She had definitely heard it before.

“Ah, kahuna, that name is on the tip of my tongue! If I ever remember who this  _ Leimomi _ is, I’ll be sure to tell you as soon as possible!” Lynn said excitedly. Whenever they reached the beach, the mysterious Salmonid woman was gone. Lynn washed her face in peace, and she and Tavi returned to the camp. They would retreat to Lynn’s cabana when the time was right.

**********

Yulia was absolutely elated. Everything was going right for once! Callie had been rescued, and she and Dennis, the dynamic duo, were going to free the Octarians from their oppression! They were going to get Octavio to give in, whether he liked it or not! However… This moment was just the calm before the storm. Suddenly, Yulia had heard Octavio’s voice booming.

“Sorry, Li’l Mama. Didja really think it would just end? Didja really think that I’d let you go so easily?” The voice echoed before the door slammed closed, locking. Yulia had heard Dennis screaming something at his father, but because the door had muffled it, she couldn’t hear. All she knew was that he sounded very, very angry.

The door on the other side of the room opened, and a large, shadowy figure loomed over Yulia. She also saw a ton of men dressed in military attire: Octavio’s commanders.

“Behold, the pinnacle of Octarian technology! His new and improved Roller cuts like a blade! His armor has undergone exquisite changes! He’s mean, ruthless, and impenetrable! Inkling, do you think you can stand up against our leader’s fighting force, the Squid Killing Machine, the Octo Samurai?!” One of the commanders shouted...But it sounded almost scripted.

The beast had finally revealed itself to her. In any other case, Yulia would have let out a chuckle at its rather comical appearance...But whenever it was trying to kill her, it was completely and utterly terrifying. His legs were rather short and scrawny, but the rest of him was big and bulky; like the commander had said, he looked impenetrable. His Roller, which he swung around fiercely, seemed to have a motor inside of it, much like the Dynamo Rollers in Inkopolis.

How...How on earth was she supposed to fight this thing?! It towered over her, and its eyes looked bloodthirsty. She had no weapon, as Dennis had taken the Squiffer. She wanted to create some kind of conspiracy theory that Dennis was playing her the whole time and knew what he was doing by taking the Squiffer, but she didn’t believe that, and even if she did, there was no time for thinking! The Octo Samurai could strike at any minute! He was obviously trying to play her out and catch her off guard. Yulia slowly reached behind her, grabbing a sharp piece of metal left from the broken stereo. For the entire time, her eyes were fixed on the beast.

Like any good western, Yulia and the Samurai stood there, waiting for noon to strike before the eventual throwdown. It seemed like they were in their little staring contest for years. Yulia could hear her own heartbeat. The anticipation was obviously getting to both Yulia and the Octo Samurai, along with the commanders, who were watching from the safety of the room. Finally, after what seemed like a thousand years, the beast struck.

Seeming to be riding on its Roller, the beast sped toward her, expertly jumping off of the Roller at exactly the right time in order to swing it at her. The blunt end of the Roller hit Yulia right in the neck, knocking her straight onto the ground. Yulia later wondered how the force didn’t snap her neck. However, the most important part is that she was struck with the blunt part of the Roller. If the “blade” part of it, which was used during vertical swings rather than horizontal, had hit her at this range and force, it most certainly would have decapitated her.

The Octo Samurai felt no remorse. It quickly rode back, rushing toward her once again, this time preparing a vertical swing, probably in hopes to finish the girl off. However, Yulia’s survival instincts kicked in, and as it was rushing, she quickly got up. This was impressive, but Yulia knew that she wouldn’t escape from the swing unscathed. She had decided to use her arms as a method of blocking the blade from more vital parts of her body. Whenever the Octo Samurai swung, the blade left large cuts in both of Yulia’s forearms, but she was too afraid to feel the pain. Her adrenaline was kicking in. Quickly running behind the beast, she broke her pacifist philosophy and stabbed the Samurai in the back with the piece of metal. She did this quite a few times, hoping to weaken it.

However, the Octo Samurai was just angered by these injuries. He constantly continued his vertical swings at the girl, Yulia always blocking them with her arms, running behind him when he was recovering, and attacking him with the metal. However, one little accident had unintentionally won Yulia the battle. Whenever her vision was starting to blur, one of her swings missed and the metal got into one of the openings of the Roller, jamming it. The Samurai was obviously enraged, and had to take a moment to get the metal out.

During the battle, one of the commanders had taken pity on her. Whilst the Samurai was busy getting the shard out of his weapon, this commander opened the door, rushing out toward the Inkling.

“Stop! You have done enough! She’s dying. I’ll take her out to the cliffside and finish her off myself,” this commander said, scooping the now bloodied Yulia in his arms. Yulia’s own arms were completely covered in her blue blood, there were cuts everywhere, and the blood was starting to stain her white dress. Her vision was blurred, but she saw that this man had pinkish tentacles and a moustache. There was something calming about his dark eyes.

This commander had run off, past the angry beast, and toward the ladder that Yulia had climbed down with Dennis earlier that same day. He was going very fast, as if he was trying to...save her?

“Sir… If you are going to dispose of my body like you said you were, I believe that you should put me out of my misery right now. Believe it or not, I am happy right now. Callie has kissed me, good sir! I would rather die a happy Inkling than have you mercilessly throw me off of the cliff,” Yulia said in an oddly polite fashion.

“You’re not going to die. You’re going to be all right. My wife is a nurse. She’s heard about you. She wants to take care of you,” the commander replied, impressively climbing the ladder with one arm while holding Yulia in the other. “Just stay with me. Stay conscious. Talk to me. Tell me a little about yourself,” he said, trying to smile. He was doing this to try to keep her alive. She was losing quite a bit of blood.

“My name is Yulia Tenta- Sir… I’m still bleeding.”

“I know. Just try to ignore it. Keep talking to me.”

“My name is Yulia Tentatek.”

“Hello, Yulia. It’s a shame that we had to meet in these circumstances. My name is Lincoln Briney. How old are you, Yulia?”

“I’m sixteen, sir.”

Yulia and Commander Briney continued this basic exchange of information with each other until Yulia heard the door of a house slam open. Her vision was still blurred, but was able to make out four figures. Two of them were obviously women, but the other two were younger, and Yulia couldn’t tell if they were male or female.

“Dad!” a male voice shouted excitedly, telling Yulia that one of the younger people was a boy. However, the two women just started freaking out at the Inkling’s pitiful condition. Yulia was passed from Commander Briney to one of the women, who took her to one of the rooms of the small house.

“We’re here, Yulia. This is my wife, Marlene. She’s been trained in nursing ever since she was ten years old...She’s considered the best nurse in this entire canyon. Those little cuts are nothing to her,” Commander Briney said, gently wiping sweat and blood from Yulia’s forehead. Marlene...that name was familiar. So was the last name, Briney...

“These cuts are more than little, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Just try to relax, girlie,” Marlene said. Yulia remembered the Octarian woman lifting up one of her arms, but she quickly closed her eyes, passing out.

**********

While the mutilated Yulia slept in the canyon below, there was much celebration in Inkopolis. Why would there not be? One of the most beloved icons in Inkopolis was returned to safety! To celebrate Callie’s return, the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook announced that they would be collaborating in a concert that night. With their deadline approaching, you’d expect them to be rushing around, but surprisingly, they were in very high spirits. The four of them had decided to meet at Pearl’s house for a small celebration before the concert. Marie, for some unknown reason, probably for preparation for the concert, was running late, and Marina had decided to bring Lynn along, probably because Pearl’s brothers happened to be home.

Thus, Lynn, who had never met Callie or Marie and felt incredibly awkward, was sitting on one couch with the boys whilst the three celebrities sat on the adjacent couch. Lynn felt like a fish out of water, being the only one in the room that didn’t have a level of popularity associated with them.

“It’s so great to have you back, Callie!” Marina said in a fangirlish tone, Pearl nodding in agreement. “Though… I do have some questions about your time down there. D-Did… You happen to see Mama? My brothers? My sister?”

“I saw Shelby when I first arrived here. She seemed kinda somber, but other than that, she was okay. We had this gigantic hug and both cried for about twenty minutes. Your mom’s still  _ really _ pretty, Rina. I didn’t see the younger three, but I did see Dennis. In fact, he was one of the people that helped rescue me,” Callie smiled, Marina’s face lighting up.

“Oh, of course he did. He was always a just boy. He has a heart of gold,” the Octoling chuckled, shooting Lynn a look as if to say that her brother was an eligible bachelor. Lynn, who was sweating up a storm in Emperor's presence, just rolled her eyes, deciding to chime in, even if it did make her nervous.

“U-Uhh, I’ve never talked to you before, but,  _ aloha.  _ My name is Lynn. D-Did you happen to see an Inkling girl with Dennis? She’s our friend, and we’re worried about her,” Lynn said, her voice seeming calm, if not a bit tremulous. Marina’s face flushed as Lynn said this. In all of the celebration, she hadn’t noticed that Yulia wasn’t back.

“Oh, yeah, half-pint.... Yeah, she was working with Dennis! She’s good with a charger, I’ll say that. Though, she completely ruined Octavio’s sound system. I doubt he’ll be making music for a while, Callie replied.

“Did… Did she come back with you guys? We haven’t seen her.”

“Well, she said that she wanted to stay. She wanted to try and free the Octarians. She told me to tell you that she was sorry, Rina.”

Lynn, who was already tired from staying up all night moving Tavi into her house, exploded. She cried something in her native language, which startled nearly everyone in the room. “How the hell is she supposed to do that?! She...She can’t do it by herself! They’ll kill her! If they don’t kill her, the Octolings will just get kicked out!” Lynn cried. The usually cool, calm, and collected Salmonling was having a breakdown. The wall, Tavi, and that mysterious Salmonling woman were all stressing her out, and she just  _ couldn’t  _ stay cool. She just started mumbling in her native language, in which no one in the room could understand… Well, Prince could understand a little bit of it, as he knew about ten words, which was a lot compared to the average Inkling’s knowledge of the Island language.

“Lynn, Lynn…” Marina said, gently walking over to her friend and stroking the sides of her face, which was something she liked. “Calm down! Do we need to go over those breathing exercises from Squidmas again? It’ll be okay, hun…” Ah, Squidmas. Lynn's last breakdown. Long story short, Pearl  _ made sure _ that Lynn and Emperor got stuck under the mistletoe.

“Yulia’s going to die!”

“She’ll be fine. My brother is really strong. If he truly is on her side, he won’t let anything happen to her,” Marina smiled. 

There was a little bit of silence before someone, presumably Marie, had knocked on the door. Marina had asked Emperor and Prince to walk Lynn home, and whenever the three of them were gone, Marina sighed as Callie went to greet her cousin.

“This plan of ours is really taking its toll on her… I just hope Yulia’s all right…”

**********

Upon awakening, Yulia found that she was in the same bed that Marlene had placed her in. A cup of tea sat on the nightstand, and upon looking at her arms, the Inkling saw that they had been expertly cleaned and bandaged. Because they were so numb before, the pain had really started to set in. Though, she didn’t regret doing it. If she wouldn’t have used her arms, the Octo Samurai probably would have cut her in a more vital part of her body. She broke her own rule of not using violence, but she  _ had _ to fight. Her life depended on it.

Trying to get up, Yulia moved the blanket and saw that her clothing was gone. She wasn’t surprised, as the white cloth was probably ruined from all of the blood. Luckily, her undergarments seemed to be fine.

Whenever Yulia was going to reach for the tea, however, she looked and saw that the two younger Octarians were staring directly at her. She hadn’t even NOTICED them! She jumped, but didn’t bother to cover herself...Yulia kinda liked that a boy was looking at her in her underwear. There was one boy and one girl; the girl looked excited to see Yulia, but the boy looked the exact opposite, like he wanted her gone.

“All right, squiddo, you have some explaining to do,” the girl said, quickly rushing to Yulia’s side, her yellowish eyes filling up with excitement. “YOU’RE that Inkling that everybody’s afraid of?”

“YOU’RE that Inkling that I’m forced to share a room with?” the boy said in a somewhat mocking tone.

“Shaddup, Julien! Didn’t you see what Octavio did to her?! I think having to share a room with her is an honor!” the girl snapped back. “Wait- before you explain, we should introduce ourselves! My name’s Giana, and this is my cousin, Julien!”

“I-It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Right whenever Yulia was going to explain what the heck she was doing in Octo Canyon to Giana, Marlene had called the two kids to dinner. Julien absolutely bolted out of the room, Giana following him at a much more leisurely pace. Marlene walked into the room not long after.

Marlene….was absolutely beautiful. She had a curvy, matronly figure that almost reminded Yulia of a more mature version of Marina’s figure. She had somewhat pale skin; she was darker than her husband but lighter than Giana, who had more of an olive skin tone. She had medium-length hair, the same color as her husband’s, that was neatly pulled and twisted into a bun. She had a somewhat plump, yet very attractive face, complete with gentle, dark eyes and a caring smile. Her outfit was rather modest and reminiscent of a housewife, as she wore a white blouse with the sleeves rolled up, some grey sweatpants, and...combat boots. Well, the boots weren’t very characteristic of a housewife, but in Octo Canyon, you wore what you had.

“Rise and shine, girlie,” Marlene smiled, “you were out like a light. How are ya feeling? Well, I need not ask. By the look on your face, it hurts. I suggest you have some tea,” she said gently as she brought some food to the injured Inkling.

Yulia nodded, quickly grabbing the cup. She was going to take a sip whenever the similarity hit her like a bus. The tea… It was blue. OF COURSE!

Myrtle had mentioned that her best friend, Mar, to make some extra income for her family. Mar was short for Marlene! No wonder Commander Briney had decided to save her! If Marlene Briney was best friends with Myrtle, no doubt she would want to take care of an Inkling, even if it did go against Octavio’s commands.

Excitedly, Yulia took a sip of the tea, but when she did, something else hit her. This, however, hit her like a freight train.

“O-Oh, M-Mrs. Marlene! Dennis! I was with Dennis! What did Octavio do to him? I heard him screaming before the Octo-” Yulia cried before Marlene gently shushed her.

“Girlie, Dennis is fine. Lincoln said that Octavio was fuming, but he would never hurt his own son. Trust me, Octoling boys are too rare to do that,” Marlene comforted. Well, that would explain why so many Octoling bystanders she had seen were women.

Yulia was glad that Dennis was okay physically, but emotionally, he was probably a wreck. He wasn’t able to watch Yulia’s battle with the Samurai. He didn’t know that Commander Briney had rescued her. He probably thought that she was dead, that one of the commanders simply threw her body off of the cliff. His anger probably grew into hatred of his father.

“Speaking of boys, I should probably apologize about my son,” Marline started as Yulia began eating. Marlene obviously had a better sense of portion control than Myrtle, as this food didn’t look like it would make Yulia want to explode by the time she was done eating it. “Julien’s usually a pretty high-spirited kid, but he’s a bit grouchy about having to share his room with someone, especially a girl…especially a girl his age. I wanted to let you sleep in Giana’s room, but my sister already sleeps in there with her, and the bed is just too small to add another person. I’d offer you my room, but it collapsed not too long ago. I just sleep on the couch. I understand that you might not feel comfortable sleeping with a boy, and I’m sure my son feels the same way, but it’s really all I can do. I certainly can’t let you go on your own like this.”

“Mrs. Marlene, don’t you ever feel sorry. You’re already giving up so much to take me in, and I respect you for that. I’m sure Julien and I will get along eventually,” Yulia smiled, her romantic little heart actually excited that she would be sleeping beside someone of the opposite sex. “Though, the other woman I saw...She’s your sister?”

“That she is. She’s my twin sister, Darlene, Giana’s mother. Long story short, after both of our husbands were drafted to be commanders in Octavio’s army, we decided that we couldn’t support our children independently and left our individual houses to live together,” Marlene explained. Yulia already disliked Octavio, but this tidbit just made her relationship with him worsen. In order for his own protection, which he didn’t even NEED, as the citizens of Octo Canyon were unarmed, he broke apart families. Marlene, Darlene, Giana, Julien, and undoubtedly other wives and children were forced to live in old, collapsing houses far away from the husbands and fathers that they loved dearly. What kind of person would do that?!

“Hey, no need for tears, girlie,” Marlene smiled sadly, “it’s just life.”

_ ‘Life shouldn’t have to be like this for you. Your lives should be just as good as mine was. You don’t deserve to be under a leader that has no regard for you whatsoever,’  _ Yulia thought to herself, but had decided to stay quiet.

After a while, Yulia had finished eating, thanking Marlene for the meal. “Now, if you’d like, I can help you out of bed and take you to the living room. I know that my sister and Giana are dying to know more about you!” Marlene smiled.

Nervously, Yulia nodded, and Marlene gently helped her out of bed, not even daring to touch her injured arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Nice to meet ya! Cap here! Chapter 5 is here! No doubt my longest chapter so far. I honestly didn't go into too much detail with descriptions of Giana and Julien, as I really just see them as the default male and female Octolings from the Octo Expansion.


	6. Chapter 6

Whenever Dennis saw that door slam behind him, he had known that he had fallen right into his father’s trap. He was a fool! The one girl that he had sworn to protect….He let her die! She had been so sweet, so innocent, and his cold-blooded father didn’t even care! She hadn’t wanted to hurt anyone, all she wanted to do was do the right thing and get Callie back. Dennis had tried to talk some sense into Octavio, but he obviously wasn’t interested. Octavio was acting just like his father! The Octo Samurai didn’t murder Yulia, Octavio did. Dennis had taken a lot of heat from Octavio, but now, it was  _ his _ turn to feel the burn. Dennis was absolutely fuming, and like any volcano, he needed to erupt.

“What the HELL is wrong with you?!” he shouted, barging into his father’s makeshift office. There wasn’t a flicker of remorse in Octavio’s eyes. “Yulia didn’t lay a finger on you! She didn’t hurt anyone! She was completely innocent of any crime, yet you went and murdered her!”

Octavio rolled his eyes, pausing his planning for a new stereo as he learned back in his chair. “Son, what the hell is wrong with YOU? You used to never meddle in my business until that Inkling came down here. Now I’m the bad guy. I did what I had to, son. With that li’l punk down here, she would’ve riled the people up, and we would’ve had the second Great Turf War. Son, you’re still a child. You’ll understand when you’re my age,” Octavio replied passively.

“Dad, I’m seventeen! I’m barely a child! Do you know who wanted to start the second Great Turf War? YOUR FATHER! I know that I never met him, but part of me is glad that I didn’t! From the stories that you and Mama told us, he seems like one of the most hateful, diabolical men in Octarian history!”

“Boy, shut your mouth. Your grandfather had done more for the race than you ever will.”

“I doubt it.”

“Suit yourself...but what’s that  _ she committed no crime _ bullshit you were just moaning on about? Didn’t you see what she did to my sound system? You should have, considering that you were there.”

“Yes, she broke your stereo…rescuing the woman that YOU were holding hostage! I think putting someone’s life on the line is a bigger crime than breaking some sound equipment! If someone deserves to die for their actions here, it’s you, dad,” Dennis said boldly. The volcano had erupted. Now, the magma was spewing out. Octavio looked shocked. 

“Doesn’t feel so good now, does it? The truth hurts sometimes!” Dennis said angrily.

“I could throw you in prison for what you just said, y’know, but I won’t. I couldn’t stand having your mother complain about another child,” Octavio replied.

“Dad… Marina was her firstborn! Just because you don’t care about us doesn’t mean that she doesn’t! Do you REALLY think that Mama spent all of that time pregnant with Marina just to have you send her to work?! You did it with Marina, and you did the same with me! No wonder Marina’s dead! No wonder Mama’s been in grief for two years!” Dennis cried, not wanting to tell his father the truth about Marina still being alive.

“Dennis… Get out of my office.”

“Why? You can’t bear to listen to the truth? You can’t handle someone criticizing you for once? You’re not used to people pointing out the negatives in you, you only point out the negatives in them! You’re my father, but I’m finally putting my foot down and standing up to you. With Marina gone, I’m the oldest. I’m going to protect Mama, my siblings and the citizens of Octo Canyon as much as I can. I will never stop helping Inklings, so long as I live. Let your father’s miserable life be an example for what’s going to come in the future,” Dennis scolded.

“Do you ever listen to me? Get out, you disobedient brat!” Octavio screamed at his son, getting up from his chair and shoving the boy out of the office. Like so many times before, Dennis had the door slammed in his face.

**********

After helping Yulia out of bed, Marlene moved the Inkling to the living room. The pain in Yulia’s arms was still pretty bad, despite drinking the tea, but the Inkling tried not to show it. Marlene was probably the only one in the house who could tell, though.

Still, as if the physical pain wasn’t enough, Yulia’s heart ached for Dennis, who, as the reader knows, still believes that she’s dead, and has strained his relationship with his father immensely.

As Yulia entered the living room, she saw that Giana, Julien, and Darlene were sitting around a shanty looking table, enjoying the little food that they had. The two cousins were joking about something, Darlene quickly getting up to greet Yulia.

Darlene was by no means ugly, but she didn’t exactly have the  _ je ne sais quoi _ that made her sister so attractive. Her hair, the same color as Marlene’s, was cut into a short bob that would probably look nicer when styled or at least pushed behind her ears, but as of now, it just kinda hung in her face. She had the same skin color as her sister, so Yulia had assumed that Giana had inherited her darker skin from her father, whom Yulia had never met. Darlene was wearing a relatively loose-fitting t-shirt, blue and white checkered pajama pants, and old-worn out sneakers. Her eyes, the same color as her sister’s and nephew’s, had bags under them, but they were only slightly noticeable. Even if she did look a bit worn-out, she still had the same gentle, matronly aura as Marlene.

“Hello there! Giana has already told me all about you,” Darlene smiled, Giana just waving excitedly. Julien just acted like Yulia wasn’t there and continued eating.

“Hello, Mrs. Darlene! Once again, I’d like to thank you, all of you, for letting me live in your house and treating me as one of your own,” Yulia replied, smiling.

“Giana and I didn’t have a choi-” Julien started before Giana quickly shoved her spoon in his mouth. He quickly spat it out, scolding his cousin for being “unsanitary.”

“Ignore him. Like I said, he’s just cranky,” Marlene smiled. 

Leading Yulia to a door, Darlene opened it, revealing the small room that she and Giana slept in and leading Yulia inside. “Please, come along. I have something that I’d like to give you,” she said. As Yulia followed the woman, she saw some clothing sitting neatly on a chair.

“Mar and I tried our darndest to salvage your clothes, but we just ended up completely ruining them trying to get the blood off. It was a shame, since that was a mighty nice dress you had. However, I think this is for the best. Even if the dress  _ was _ nice, it was awfully thin. It’s too cold down here for you to be walking around in that. Well, turns out that I just so happened to have a white dress that I made for Giana when she was younger. She’s grown out of it now, but it should fit you. It’s not as nice as yours, but it’ll do. I’ve also decided to throw in some accessories,” Darlene smiled, Yulia’s eyes lighting up.

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Darlene! Your generosity has been unfathomable. I know that we’ve just met, but you are already treating me like another daughter. The hospitality that you and your sister have shown me reminds me of my own mother,” Yulia grinned, gently hugging the Octarian woman, who was tickled pink by the kind gesture.

“Dear, it’s really no problem. I’ll let you get dressed in here, just come out when you’re ready,” Darlene said, soon exiting the room and joining the family conversation.

As much as the flirty Yulia wanted to try to impress Julien with her delicate figure, she had to admit that she was excited to not be walking around in a lace-up bra and panties anymore. Her first layer was a white, ruffled dress that wasn’t as cute as her previous one, but Yulia still adored it. It was a little big but nonetheless fit her well, and it was made of a much warmer material than the dress her mother had made her. After that, a long-sleeved overcoat made out of a tealish fabric that reminded her of both Dennis and Marina. It was kinda heavy, but at least it covered the unappealing bandages on her arms. To keep the coat in place was a white belt, which tied in the back. Yulia, of course, couldn’t settle for the average knot, so she tied it into a bow. Yulia’s new dress was rather short, so to keep her legs warm, there were thigh-high stockings. Because Giana and Yulia had very different leg shapes, the stockings didn’t look amazing, but it was about warmth, not appeal. Also, since the stockings had no elastic in them, to no fault of the family, who either couldn’t afford or obtain it, the stockings were tied around her legs with black ribbon. After the stockings, Yulia threw on a long scarf, which covered her bruised neck and made her look a  _ little _ better. Finally, she had thrown on her pearlescent platform shoes, in which Pearl had constantly teased her about before basically rebranding them as her own. Yulia remembered it like it was yesterday.

“Tentatek! What on earth do you have on your feet?!” Pearl chuckled, walking up to Yulia. The shoes were a gift from one of her dad’s employees; a prototype that was eventually rejected. “Those shoes almost blinded me b!”

“I think they look nice on her, Pearlie. They really bring out her hair and eyes,” Marina said, ignoring the fact that Yulia was  _ still _ wearing the N-Pacer hoodie that she had lent her nearly three months ago.

“Damn, I can see myself in your shoes, Yuls! HELLOOOOOOOOO!” Pearl continued, waving to her reflection.

“It’s nice to see you too, Pearl,” Yulia smiled, pushing up her glasses. Marina, the self-proclaimed mom friend, gave Yulia a look that just screamed  _ why aren’t you wearing your contacts?  _ Yulia gave Marina a look that screamed  _ because I hate those things. _

Long story short, Pearl made fun of Yulia about the shoes nearly all day, but whenever Yulia had revealed to Pearl who had made them for her, Pearl quickly went to him and commissioned her own pair. Because a celebrity was wearing them, they blew up in popularity, and Tentatek forever regretted its decision of not approving these  _ Pearlescent Kicks. _

Shaking off the thoughts of home, Yulia made sure she looked decent in the new attire before moving back to the living room, where the four Octarians were finishing washing up. Giana was the first to notice.

“Hey, I remember wearing those! I’m glad to see that my mom was able to put them to good use,” Giana smiled, Julien looking in another direction. “What’s the matter, cuz? Unable to look a pretty lady in the eyes?”

“I-I’ll look a pretty lady in the eyes when I see one,” Julien said, flustered. “All I see are three relatives and an outlaw.”

Marlene shot Julien a look.

“S-Sorry, Mother…”

“I think that this Inkling is just as welcome here as anyone else. There must be circumstances, right? Now, girlie, do you care to tell us… Oh, goodness! We’ve never even got your name! How rude of us!” Marlene said with a little laugh.

“It’s quite all right, considering my pitiful condition. My name is Yulia… Yulia Tentatek.”

“It’s nice to  _ officially _ meet you, Yulia,” Darlene smiled, “now you can tell us why you’re here.”

“I originally came down here to save a woman that Octavio was holding hostage. Do you happen to know Callie from the Squid Sisters?”

“Mar and I don’t, but the children were at that collaboration that they did with Octavio,” Mar replied.

“Wait… He was holding her hostage?” Giana chimed in.

“Yes. He wanted to lure Inklings into his base and kill them in revenge for the Great Turf War. After Dennis and I had saved her, he went to take my weapon back so the commanders would not be suspicious. Before I had time to think, he had closed the door on me and summoned the Octo Samurai to kill me. Armed with only a piece of metal, I was struck in the throat. Knowing that I would die if I didn’t try to defend myself, I used my arms as a barrier, which is how I got the cuts. Whenever he was recovering from the swing, I used the metal on him. Whenever one of my swings missed, it got stuck in his Roller, jamming it. While he tried to get the metal out, Commander Briney claimed that he was going to take me to the cliffside to dispose of my body, but in reality brought me here. Because of all of the kindness that I have been shown, I now strive to give hope to the Octarian people. I want to give all of you the chance to join my friends and me in Inkopolis. I do not want you to suffer down here anymore. I want to be the new hope that you people need,” Yulia said, her calm demeanor continuing throughout her entire speech, even whenever she talked about her encounter with the Octo Samurai.

“Oh, may the stars above bless you in your struggles, Yulia!” Marlene cried, rising up and embracing the Inkling. Giana smiled seeing her aunt like this while Julien looked completely and utterly embarrassed.

“Ever since our children were born and out husbands drafted, my sister and I prayed that someone would care about us enough to work toward our deliverance. We’ve longed to live in the promised land for so long. Little Yulia, do you truly think that you can be this  _ new hope _ that you were talking about?” Darlene asked.

“I believe that with the right support, I can do anything. I already have Dennis, Myrtle, the restaurant owner, and Commander Briney as my companions. Surely I will have at least three of the four of you,” Yulia smiled.

“Oh, bless Myrtle, bless her! She’s been there for me through thick and thin,” Marlene gushed.

“Yulia, we’ll be there for you as much as we can. My sister is a nurse and myself an engineer. We will not let you go out again until we’re certain you’re ready,” Darlene smiled.

“Thank you, both of you,” Yulia replied.

“In fact,” Marlene continued, “I have someone coming in tomorrow. A young girl was recently injured and is coming in for a routine checkup. The poor thing always gets herself into trouble, but I believe that she will be willing to join the fight for freedom as well.”

“Are you sure that she won't be afraid of me?”

“I’m certain she won't. She’s young and curious. Most Octarians seem to be pretty excited about your presence rather than afraid, especially since you haven’t hurt anyone.”

“There was a time where I accidentally shot ink out of my weapon. Octolings and Octotroopers saw me. They all looked afraid. Are you sure that they’d be excited? They could have taken that as a threat.”

“Our Octotroopers are much more simple than us Octolings, but they are by no means dumb. They can communicate with us and understand us. They have feelings, lives, and families of their own. I’m sure they understand, and trust me, I’m sure that they’re just as glad as we are that someone’s fighting for them.”

“I’ll make sure that the most complex Octarians down to the simplest will be able to live a happy life in Inkopolis.”

With this, the conversation died down to talk about life in Octo Canyon, until Giana asked a question that would lead into one of the hardest hitting discussions of Yulia’s entire journey.

“Mother, could you and Aunt Mar tell more stories?”

“I’m going to bed,” Julien said, marching off to his room rather grouchily. Marlene followed, trying to get Julien in a mood that wasn’t absolutely awful, but Darlene nodded happily at her daughter.

“Our mother and father were very good storytellers. They’re both passed away now, but my father was a veteran of the Great Turf War. Whenever we were children, he always told us stories about life before, during, and after the war. Giana and Julien love hearing them. Well… Julien usually loves hearing them, but he just doesn’t seem to be in a good mood today,” Darlene explained.

“Well, I don’t think that Julien likes me very much. I honestly worry that he’ll try to hurt me whenever I’m asleep,” Yulia said sadly.

“Oh, that’s nonsense. Just… My sister has sheltered Julien. I let Giana outside sometimes, but Mar never did that with Julien. He’s never really seen the outside world. You’re the only person he knows that isn’t part of his family. Trust me, it’s not because you’re an Inkling. Julien has just never really had to experience change before. My sister’s more than a mother, she’s a  _ smother, _ ” Darlene explained, letting Yulia and Giana gather around her on the couch.

“Oh, Mother, could you get on with the stories? The one about the waltz is my favorite! I want Yulia to hear it!” Giana cried, Darlene nodding and smiling.

“Well, it took place years before the war, when our parents were still relatively young. It was around Halloween. Before the war, there were constant galas and balls held that everyone was invited to. It just so happened that around this time of year, there was a gala being held in honor of the holiday. Everyone would dress up in the scariest outfit that they had, and all of the composers of the time would create the most eerie, frightening melodies possible. Children and adults alike loved it. That year, my father told me, Octavio...Not our Octavio, but his father, commissioned one of the greatest composers of the time to compose a waltz for him. The actual piece has been lost in time, and my father had forgotten the title whenever he told the story. Octavio had commissioned this piece because he was going to take his newly wedded wife, the gorgeous Mahi, to the waltz. My father told me that Octavio had spent weeks upon weeks creating a gorgeous, extravagant  _ skeleton king _ costume, but the day before the gala, Mahi had somehow hurt herself. She had an injured foot, and wasn’t able to walk. Poor Octavio, who had wanted to waltz with his wife, was heartbroken. Out of the blue, Mareanie Cuttlefish, who at this time was smitten with an Octoling by the name of Albert, gave up her time with her precious boy to waltz with the distraught man. Mareanie, simply dressed in a party dress, and Octavio, dressed in this amazing handmade costume, brought the true spirit of Halloween to life. From what my father, and several other people, had told us, Mareanie and Octavio were completely in sync, like they had practiced the dance before. They danced like professionals. Everyone who watched them came out of that gala as changed people. Oh, Mareanie and Octavio had such an amazing relationship. Octavio and Mareanie’s father, Cap’n Craig Cuttlefish, were very close friends, and whenever Mareanie, who was his youngest child, was born, Octavio absolutely delighted in her. In fact, whenever Mareanie was born, Octavio was the first person to hold her after her mother. He and Mahi raised her like their own daughter. She would stay at their house for weeks at a time. I’m pretty sure Cap’n Cuttlefish was jealous of how much affection that girl showed him… I’m also pretty certain that Mareanie was the reason that Octavio and Mahi had their son so late into their lives.” Darlene smiled, Giana cuddling up to her mother.

“They didn’t see the species difference… Mareanie is an Inkling, Octavio was an Octoling…” Yulia smiled, nodding. “But… Where is Octavio now?”

“It’s a rather sad story, honestly. During the end of his reign here, Octavio was a very bitter man. He had tried so hard to make peace with the Inklings, but they never responded to anything that he tried. He was getting tired. He was getting older. He had been in charge for so long…He had been such a gentle, loving man for decades... It was time for him to step down and pass the position to his son. He refused, bless his soul, and tried one last attempt to make peace. Whenever the Inklings ignored him once more, he went into a blind rage. He threatened to start the second Great Turf War. He threatened to destroy the Inklings. This enraged most of the population, but a only certain group had decided to take action. Whenever he was giving one of his speeches, they invaded the podium, fatally stabbing Octavio. At this time, his wife, his son, his daughter-in-law, who happened to be Mareanie’s daughter, Shelby, and his baby granddaughter were all inside the family mansion, not knowing that he had just been killed. Please, Yulia, do not hate this man. From the stories that our parents had told us, it was for a very short period of his life that he was angry. For so long, he was gentle, kind, loving, and forgiving. He was nothing like his son…” Darlene answered.

Yulia felt her heart break. She thought back to Dennis, who seemed to hate his grandfather. From what Darlene had told, this man seemed to be absolutely delightful for most of his life. But… Then it pinged.

The old man that she had encountered in the Salmonid Smokeyard… He said something about how his people were suffering and that he had done nothing for them… They…turned on him. Was… Was this man really dead?! This account was lining up with the old man’s speech perfectly! Yulia wanted to say something, but she was too flabbergasted to do so. 

Not only this, but Octavio’s son, Octavio Jr… He married Mareanie’s daughter! That means that Callie’s sister, Shelby, ran off to Octo Canyon rather than running off to some other part of Inkopolis, as many people had suggested! Shelby was Marina’s mother! Not only Marina’s, but Dennis’s! All of these people were part of a gigantic family! It really  _ is _ a small world. 

“Well, thank you for the story, Mrs. Darlene, but I’m feeling awfully tired. I think that I’m going to head to bed now. I want to give Julien a little bit of time to get used to me,” Yulia smiled, Darlene nodding.

“That’s understandable. It’s about time Giana and I head to bed, too,” Darlene replied. The three girls then headed off in their own direction. Right when Yulia was going to enter her room, Marlene walked out, sighing.

“I got him as calm as I could. If he gives you trouble during the night, just let me know. I’ll make him sleep on the couch if I have to. I’m assuming you’re heading to bed, then?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well, I’d give you some pajamas, but we don’t have any. Honestly, Julien’s grown up with three women around. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if you sleep in your underclothes,” Mar said, wishing Yulia good night. Then, the Inkling headed into the room, where Julien was sitting on the bed.

“Julien, I can sleep on the floor if you’d like. I don’t mind.”

“No, Mother will yell at me if I make you sleep on the floor. I’ll just put a blanket in the middle as a barrier. You don’t cross onto my side, I don’t cross onto yours,” Julien said sternly. While Yulia undressed, the Octoling boy, dressed in a baggy shirt and cloth shorts, grabbed an extra blanket, piling it up in the middle of the bed. Both parties had a decent amount of room to sleep, granted they get used to sleeping beside someone of the opposite sex.

Julien flopped down into bed, not facing Yulia. The Inkling slowly crawled into bed, feeling embarrassed. Here she was, clad in only a bra and panty set that looked more like lingerie than underwear, in the same bed as a boy. Julien, however, didn’t seem remotely interested.

“Do you really think that you can free the entire Octarian race by yourself?” Julien suddenly asked, rolling over so that the two were facing each other.

“Not by myself. Though, I do believe that if I get the right support, I can do it,” Yulia replied.

“You’d really even want to save me? After I called you an outlaw? After I’ve been a huge jerk?”

“Of course. I want to save Octavio, even though he tried to kill me.”

“Well… Thanks, I guess.”

With that, Julien rolled over once again, blowing out the candle. It was pretty hard for Yulia to fall asleep, knowing that there was someone beside her, but eventually she gave in and drifted off.

**********

Meanwhile, as you’d expect, Lynn was flustered. At least with Tavi at the house, she’d have someone to talk to. In fact, after getting him settled into her house, she had pretty much talked his ear off about her plan to free the Octarians. Now, the two were sitting in Lynn’s yard, having some casual conversation. Lynn depended on a fire to cook, as she had no appliances in the cabana, and the fire from their supper was finally dying down for the night.

“That tall boy that wished you goodnight earlier… Is he your boyfriend? The way that you looked at him was very intimate,” Tavi said gently, trying to calm Lynn down. The Salmonling was taking out her frustration with some impulsive woodworking.

“I wish he was. I’ve been trying to butter him up for a decade now. He seems immune to me. Besides, I doubt the Salmonlings would be too happy with me if he was my boyfriend,” Lynn replied.

“Oh, really? Why’s that?”

“I can’t have children with an Inkling. The most important task of a Salmonling’s life is to reproduce. With how...oh...I can’t remember the word, but basically, it’s hard for us to have babies. Every child that is born counts. I have ruled love out of the equation long ago. This may seem childish of me, considering that we are both seventeen, but I...I have already given my heart to him. He may or may not know it, but I have. If I am called back to the Islands someday, marrying an Inkling will not be an option. I will have to marry a Salmonling for the sake of getting pregnant. Kahuna Tavi… I don’t  _ want _ to be a mother!” Lynn cried.

“Oh, really? Why is that? I’m not judging you, I just want to know your reasoning.”

“Producing a child from a loveless relationship is evil in my eyes. I should know. I am a child of a loveless relationship. I do not think that my father even remembers my mother’s name. Every time I ask about her, he just calls me stupid and tells me not to muck around in the past. I do not think that I will ever fall in love again. If I do mother a child, it will not be with someone I love. Kahuna, I would rather live my life with someone I adore than raise a child that I do not want. From a young age, I decided that I did not want children. I do not want to make the same mistakes that my mother did, raising a baby she didn’t want,” Lynn explained, hanging her head as she continued woodworking. She was obviously trying not to cry.

“Darling, how do you know that you’ll never fall in love again? As you mentioned, you are only seventeen. You still have so much time. I didn’t get married until I was almost thirty!” Tavi said encouragingly.

“Oh, Kahuna… I… I’m just so romantic! I’ve loved him since I was seven! That’s ten years, Tavi! He’s just so tall… Handsome as hell… He’s nice whenever he gets used to you... Do you think that I could just fall out of love with him? Well, having a mental breakdown in front of him sure didn’t help!”

“Lynn. It’s all right. Surely he must know everything that you are going through. He would be a fool to not understand,” Tavi smiled.

“I-I guess you’re right… I never told him what our plan was in detail, but my best friend, Marina, is very close with his sister and visits them almost daily, so I’m guessing that he at least  _ knows _ about it,” Lynn mumbled. Just saying Marina’s name made her feel puzzled. Marina was the one who was worried sick about Yulia wanting to stay and help the Octarians after saving Callie. Then, when Callie tells everyone that Yulia  _ did  _ decide to stay, Marina just shrugs it off! It was infuriating!

“Marina, huh… I have a granddaughter named Marina,” Tavi smiled. Lynn’s eyes widened. They were both Octolings. They  _ looked _ similar.

“Kahuna, when was the last time you saw her?”

“Well, not long before I got my wound. She was very little at the time. I’m guessing that today she’d be around…”

“Eighteen?”

“Yes, actually!”

“Holy crap… Tavi, my best friend… Marina is an Octoling. I-I think she’s your granddaughter!” Lynn cried, excitedly tossing aside the project she was working on. She was going to rush to her phone to call Marina, not realizing that the Octoling was occupied with concert preparations. Luckily, Tavi had stopped her.

“Lynn, dear, don’t you think that this can wait? You and Marina, granddaughter or not, are very busy people. As much as I would like to see my granddaughter again, you both have your priorities. For example, I think that yours should be-”

“Of course! Kahuna, my father is right! I  _ am _ stupid! I totally forgot about the wall! With the concert tonight, no one will hear the noise! I can get so much progress done! Here I am, talking to you about my stupid little love life! Well, I cannot wait any longer. G’night, Tavi!” Lynn cried. Before Tavi could say anything, the Salmonling had grabbed her trusty sledgehammer and was out the door.

_ ‘That child.... Beloved, but such an overachiever. I was going to tell her to get some rest, but I do not think that those words are in her vocabulary,’  _ Tavi thought to himself as he went to finish his nightly routine and head to bed.

**********

Whenever Yulia woke up from her relatively light sleep, the first thing she noticed was the sharp pain in her arms. It honestly felt as if someone was squeezing a lemon directly into the cuts, but Yulia knew that it would be something she’d just have to get over...And she  _ did _ get over it rather quickly, as before her stood Julien, who was in the middle of putting his shirt on. For someone who had spent nearly all of his life indoors, he had a bit of muscle to him, and it made Yulia blush pretty hard. She tried to shake off the sight by getting dressed as well.

“Good morning, Julien.”

“Morning.”

“Do you happen to know the time?”

“Mother says that it’s around noon. She’s still trying to figure out that phone of yours.”

“My phone… OH! I completely forgot that I had brought that thing with me! It’s a miracle that it still works!” 

With only her dress and one stocking on, Yulia ran out into the living room. Everyone in the house was awake, with Giana and Darlene getting ready for some brunch while Marlene desperately tried to figure out the passcode on Yulia’s phone.

“Oh, Mrs. Marlene, I thought that thing would have gotten destroyed!” Yulia chuckled. The squid-shaped smartphone sat in the Octoling woman’s hands, pretty much unscathed. The pearlescent blue case had a few scratches, but the screen wasn’t even cracked.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve been messing with this thing ever since we rescued you. You’re lucky it still works, girlie,” Marlene said, handing the electronic over.

“Do you want to see anything? I’ve been trying to save the battery as much as I could. It’s still at around 60 percent right now,” Yulia said as Giana started serving everyone some food.

“Could… Could you show us what the surface looks like? I’ve always wanted to see the promised land…” Julien said as he came out of his room, fully dressed.

As they ate, the Octarians gathered around Yulia, who was sitting on the couch. Yulia went through her photos, showing them some pictures of herself, her parents, her friends, and eventually found some pictures of the main plaza during the day and during Splatfests. She showed them Murch, Judd and Li’l Judd, Annie, Crusty Sean, and the shopkeepers. She showed them some pictures of the battle stages whenever she worked Ranked Battle waiting rooms. As she looked through her pictures, she saw that all four Octarians were wide-eyed.

“Mother, I’d imagined it to be nice, but I didn’t expect it to be  _ this _ nice!” Julien exclaimed, his mother nodding and smiling. “Look at how many shops there are! Can Inklings really afford to buy all this stuff?” Giana asked. 

“Of course. There are so many ways to make money in Inkopolis. That and the stuff being relatively inexpensive. That boy named Murch that I showed you, he can order you any piece of gear you want! He charges a bit more than the shops, but it’s really worth it if you ask me,” Yulia explained happily.

The fantasizing was cut off by a knock at the door. Yulia quickly ran off to Julien’s room to finish getting dressed.

“I’m here for my follow-up appointment, Marlene,” a young, feminine voice said once Marlene had opened the door. The two children quickly started cleaning up the mess from the meal.

“Oh, Chyna! How great to see you!” Marlene replied. Yulia dropped the scarf she was holding. Chyna… That name rung a bell. OF COURSE! Chyna was the girl that had gotten injured cleaning the windows! Chyna was the one who fell! The one who wasn’t properly taken to a hospital! At least she was alive.

“I was talking to Myrtle when she told me that the Inkling was in your house! Apparently your husband was talking to her about it before I came in! Is it true, Marlene? Is it?!” the child asked excitedly.

“Well, yes, it is… but how many people were there when Lincoln told Myrtle?”

“Only Myrtle knows! I-I’d really like to see the Inkling, Marlene!” Chyna cried excitedly.

“Of course you can, as long as you don’t tell anyone. But first, let me see that leg of yours. I think we’ll be able to remove the stitches today,” Marlene said. 

There was a general conversation about work life between Marlene and Chyna, the former begging the latter to be more careful whenever she worked. According to Marlene, Chyna was doing just fine, and Marlene wanted her to stay that way. Eventually, Marlene walked up to the door.

“Yulia, girlie, we have a guest that would like to see you!” Marlene cried. A bit nervous, Yulia opened the door.

There sat Chyna. She was very small, around Pearl’s size. Her skin was a rather unhealthy yellowish color. She was unhealthily thin and her face looked absolutely sickly, but she still smiled. She was wearing baggy sweatpants, a black tank top with a red and black flannel cardigan, small ear gauges, and a black headband. She had wavy tentacles that were the same color as Marlene and her family’s that went slightly below her chin. She had an x-shaped scar on her chin, similar to the birthmark or tattoo that Octavio had. She had some gentle freckling on her face and rusty yellow eyes. She didn’t look very healthy, but she seemed to be happy. That’s all that matters, I guess.

“It’s so nice to meet you!” Chyna cried excitedly, running as fast as her little legs could carry her to meet this Inkling, hugging her incredibly tightly. “You should have seen the look on Myrtle’s face whenever Commander Briney told her that he had rescued you! She started talking about how Dennis had told everyone that Octavio killed you! Myrtle even started crying whenever Commander Briney told her that you were here!”

_ ‘Oh, no… Dennis does think I’m dead! Poor Dennis! That’s horrible! I… I need to see him again!’  _ Yulia thought to herself as she held the young Octoling close to her.

“Myrtle said that you were mighty upset whenever they were talking about the Great Turf War,” Chyna said.

“That’s right. I don’t think that your status in the war, the war that was so long ago, should influence your status now. I don’t think that the Octarian people should have to suffer like this, and that’s why I’m trying to change things down here,” Yulia replied.

“She wants to recruit people to be her companions along the way,” Julien added. “I recommend you join her. She wants salvation even for the cruelest of us.”

Yulia was surprised, to say the least. She had just assumed that Julien loathed her.

“I wanna join! I wanna join! I’d do anything to be friends with an Inkling!” Chyna cried. 

“Of course, Chyna! I’ll happily be your friend!” Yulia said excitedly. Chyna, who obviously had a short attention span, then went to have a conversation with Giana while Marlene had called Yulia into the next room.

“Hey, girlie… Thanks for being so nice to Chyna. If you couldn’t already guess, the poor thing isn’t exactly in the best health. She had inherited a disease from her mother that we Octarians can’t treat...we don’t even know what it is. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen Chyna’s mother, but…”

“Yes, I’ve seen her… It’s horrible,” Yulia interrupted.

“It’s the disease that did that to her legs. It appears to have multiple forms. Chyna’s mother may be weak on the outside, but she’s still decently strong internally. Chyna, however, is really taking a toll on the inside, her immune system especially. She just has a lot of trouble getting around sometimes. Something like a common cold or an asthma attack could potentially be fatal for her. Lincoln and I talk about her a lot, and we don’t think that she has a lot of time left. Because of that, we’re trying especially hard to keep her happy. After all, we want to remember her smiling and laughing, not deathly sick and in bed,” Marlene smiled sadly.

If Yulia’s heart was broken before, it was shattered now. This little girl, so full of energy and so happy…was dying? The Inkling couldn’t wrap her head around it! I mean, it was kinda obvious, considering Chyna’s very sickly appearance, but hearing it from someone just hit her especially hard. It was always the most innocent, most gentle souls that were the first to go.

“Th-Thank you for telling me, Mrs. Marlene. I-If you excuse me, I think I need to go and get some fresh air… Well, as fresh as the air can be down here,” Yulia said, exiting the room and going out the side door, which led to a small yard. Marlene had mentioned that her room had collapsed, and this was very clear to see from this angle. Sitting on a pile of rubble, Yulia buried her hands in her head and just sobbed. She sobbed for Dennis, who thought that she was nothing more than a mangled body at the bottom of a cliff. She sobbed for her friends, her parents…Honestly, everyone. She even sobbed for Octavio, who had degenerated so much that he felt the need to murder a sixteen year old girl for trying to help him.

**********

While Yulia was having her little sobbing session, Lynn made her first trip...ever...to the library. Marina, confused on why she was doing so, had decided to follow her. Not wanting people to flock around her, the Octoling wore a disguise which honestly just consisted of a big, floppy hat, her hair pulled back, a dress, and some sunglasses. Either the people got her memo or were too stupid to realize it was Marina, as they left her alone.

“Lynn, baby, as glad as I am to see you reading, you know you’re not very good at reading or writing in the Inkling language. Last time you tried to read, you ended up breaking down and crying. I don’t want you doing that…y’know...in public,” Marina said, gently rubbing Lynn’s shoulder.

“I’m not here to read, Sis,” Lynn said, going up to the librarian, a tall, chunky jellyfish with spectacles a suit. “Excuse me, I’ve heard that you have a book about the Great Turf War here. Do you mind if my friend and I take a look at it?”

“Oh, of course! We can let you read it, but due to its age, we can’t let you take it out of its room. Will this be a problem?” The librarian asked.

“Oh, of course not! I just wanted to see some of the posters and photos in it.”

“That’s completely understandable. Follow me, ladies,” the librarian said, leading the two to a rather large door and unlocking the door. “Whenever you’re done reading, just tell me. This book is very valuable and needs to be locked up whenever it’s not being read. Enjoy!”

With that, the two went into the room. It was a somewhat small room, with the only book being a large one that was obviously showing signs of age.

“I remember Yulia talking to me about this book, Sis,” Lynn said. “It was piled together in the years before, during, and after the war. There’s…..There’s just someone that I want to look at. I’m sorry that you came with me for nothing,” Lynn said, embarrassed.

“It’s fine, Lynn! It’s nice to see you with interests other than physical activity,” Marina joked as Lynn gently brought the book to the table, she and Marina taking their seats as she opened it.

“Look at these photos! So many of these people have just been forgotten by history…” Marina mumbled as Lynn looked through the pictures in the book. Then, as Lynn turned the page, they found it.

The picture was iconic to pretty much everyone who had been alive before the war. The picture featured Cap’n Craig Cuttlefish and Octavio Ida Sr., having a conversation and laughing. The former was still living in Inkopolis and was known by many people, but the latter sparked a reaction in both the Octoling and the Salmonling.

“That’s my grandfather!” Marina cried. “That’s Tavi!” Lynn cried at the same time. They both looked at each other, shocked.

“WHAT?!” They both cried, once again in sync. “Lynn, how in the world do you know my grandfather?! He died before you were even BORN!” Marina cried.

“S-Sis… I just… AUGH!” Lynn cried back, suddenly picking Marina up and carrying her out of the room. The Octoling was very confused, but decided to go with Lynn, considering that she had a crazed look in her eyes.

“Thank you for letting me read the book, ma’am,” Lynn politely told the librarian before carrying Marina out of the library. As Lynn ran through Inkopolis to her cabana, which was in the small beach town on the outskirts of the city, the same city that Pearl lived, many people were confused on why she was sprinting like her life depended on it...and they were even more confused on why she was carrying someone.

“Lynn, why so fast?! You’re going to burn out! You’re going to hurt yourself! Marina cried, holding onto her hat, as it was close to blowing off. 

“I carried Emperor for six miles whenever he sprained his ankle and didn’t burn out… This won’t be any different,” Lynn said, getting closer to her house.

“Yeah, I guess you did...and look what it did to your legs,” Marina said, looking down. There was a reason why Lynn’s legs were rumored to be the best in Inkopolis. They looked like they’d been sculpted by a goddess.

Finally, the two had reached Lynn’s cabana, where the Salmonling finally put her friend down, pretty much barging in. There sat Tavi, who had helped himself to some of the leftover food. As soon as the two Octolings made eye contact, a huge chill ran down Lynn’s spine. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in nearly two decades, they immediately recognized each other.

“G-Grandpa…?” Marina asked, turning toward her friend. “WHERE DID YOU FIND HIM?!” she cried, putting her hands on either of Lynn’s shoulders.

“That old man that was rumored to live in the forest? The one that you constantly scolded me for trying to find? Yeah, turns out he was your grandfather. Turns out he’d been living in the forest for EIGHTEEN YEARS,” Lynn said, panting.

With that, Marina walked up to her grandfather, who looked like he was about to cry. “M-My dear, darling grandchild… You were but a baby when I last saw you! How much you’ve grown!” he said, gently planting a kiss on Marina’s head. With that, the Octoling quickly embraced the old man, letting her tears stain his garments. Marina was told stories about her grandfather having been a bitter, harsh man, but she never believed it.

“How are your parents? How is my darling Mahi?” Tavi asked.

“I haven’t been home in two years...but they were all doing fine last time I was home! I-I’m not your only grandchild, either! You have four others! You have another granddaughter and three grandsons!” Marina cried.

“Five children! Three boys! My, my! Luck was surely shining on your family!” Tavi smiled, a tear rolling down his cheek. After eighteen years, he was finally reunited with a member of his family, the granddaughter that he had absolutely adored.

“B-But, grandpa… How did you get here? We all thought you had gotten assassinated!” Marina said once she was finally calmed down. “We had your funeral and everything! We thought we buried you!”

“Well, dear Marina… After I was stabbed, I honestly didn’t expect to wake up...and neither did the grave digger. Whenever I moved the sheet and stood up, the grave digger, an energetic young man, was going to rush to tell everyone… But I told him not to. As evident by the assassination attempt, my time of reigning was up. That’s when I realized how bitter and horrible I had been. I decided that it was best to not let people know. The grave digger, along with a few of the loyal commanders of my time, helped lift me up through the entrance to this land, and I made my camp in the woods. I don’t know what the grave digger had substituted for my body, but  _ that _ is what was buried that morning,” Tavi explained.

“Oh, grandpa, you didn’t have to pretend to be dead! You could have just come back!” Marina chuckled. “Though, you’re not the only one that they think died… Heh...”

“MARINA!” Lynn yelled, her face flushing. Marina certainly didn’t tell her that  _ this _ was how she got to Inkopolis.

“I had no choice, Lynn! They weren’t just going to let me leave! How else was I supposed to meet you again?!”

“I DIDN’T EXPECT YOU TO MEET ME! I WAS 13, MARINA!”

“Besides, it wasn’t just about you! I knew my surroundings! I knew that I could live a better life. It was a life that I wanted my siblings to live… I’m here to try to save everyone else. Off the Hook is just a job. It’s not my main purpose. Even if we hadn’t met, I still would have escaped. It was what the voice inside was telling me to do. Unlike you, I listen to mine, Lynn,” Marina said, Lynn clenching her fists in rage. She couldn’t speak. She had forgotten how to.

“But, Lynn.... Even if meeting you wouldn’t have influenced my opinion, I’m sure glad I did. Never in my life had I made such a gentle, loyal friend and sister. Since we’ve started, there’s been a huge gap in between us...but it’s not all bad. You’re finally throwing away that  _ cool, calm, and collected _ facade. Lynn, you’re showing emotion! You’re actually letting people in!” Marina smiled, putting her hands on Lynn’s clenched ones, trying to calm her down. Lynn was going to snap back, but she wasn’t in the right mood. She didn’t want to get angry in front of Tavi, whom she adored.

**********

Suddenly, Yulia’s sobbing session was ended by the door opening. It was...Julien?

“Hey,” he said, taking a seat beside her, “sorry to bother you, but I heard you talking in your sleep last night, and I got curious, since you seemed really upset. You mentioned someone named Scrap in your sleep, as well as a  _ Mr. Grizz _ person. Who are those people? Did they hurt you or something?”

“Oh, I was talking in my sleep? Well… Scrap is one of my friends. I doubt you guys know what Salmonlings are, but he’s one of them. We met after he thought I was drowning and ‘rescued’ me. Mr. Grizz was my old boss, and to put it politely, he and Scrap  _ strongly disliked _ each other. Just… Thinking about the Octo Samurai made me think of my old job, along with Mr. Grizz and Scrap. Thinking of how Octavio manipulated Callie made me think about Scrap constantly accusing Mr. Grizz of manipulating me...and all of the other Grizzco employees,” Yulia explained, not thinking that she’d ever be having an actual conversation with Julien.

“Really, what’s he been doing?” Julien asked.

“I mean, Grizzco is one of those companies that involves heavy labor and unforgiving criteria… but Mr. Grizz doesn’t pay us very well and doesn’t listen to us if we ask us for decent wages. I know that most kids only treat it as a summer job, but it’s honestly what I depend on. You see, my parents got stuck in a hurricane and no one knows if they’re dead or alive. My best friend’s family let me live in one of the cabins on the campsite they own. They offered to support me financially, as they’re very,  _ very  _ well off, but I just felt horrible. I didn’t want to live for free. In Inkopolis, we have things called turf wars, which are basically friendly battles where you get to show off your inking skills against other kids. I’m no good, so I was never into them, but Ranked Battles, which are basically the  _ upper crust  _ of turf wars, was hiring someone to work their waiting rooms. I ended up taking the job.

However, whenever I was in a convenience store one day, picking up some of their ready-to-eat food for my friend, Lynn, who was sick, I saw a somewhat young, decently attractive man talking to the lady working there about his company. He was talking about using Golden Eggs, stolen from a race called Salmonids, to make Inkopolis a better place. Now, I had no idea what I’d even have to do, but I wanted to make Inkopolis even better than it was, so I sheepishly asked Mr. Grizz if he was hiring. Whenever he answered, he seemed so sweet and kind, telling me that there were always positions available. Due to a lack of better judgement, I instantly took the job and quit working the waiting rooms, which paid about five times more.

Whenever I worked my first shift, however...the job wasn’t what I expected. At all. He took you and three other kids out to some rusty old yard, where you were equipped with random weapons of his choosing. The Salmonids, naturally not wanting to give up their Golden Eggs, attacked you. The only way to get the Eggs were to splat the Salmonids and steal them while they were recovering. It was horrible!

I had also learned that Mr. Grizz’s personality had taken a complete 180. The kind, gentle masquerade was now gone. He was now cold, demanding, and unforgiving. He showed no mercy to anyone. This personality change made it even more barbaric, considering that he  _ was _ a species of Salmonid. Even if we did do well, the pay was so meager that you could hardly buy a bottle of water with it. It also turned out that my friend who I was getting the food for, Lynn, was his daughter. At first I wondered why she never really talked about him, but whenever I saw this personality flip, I immediately knew why. Apparently he neglected her growing up, and when he  _ did _ pay attention to her, he wasn’t very nice to her.

Naturally, I wanted to quit, but whenever I told Mr. Grizz about it, he did another 180 back to his loving, kind personality, telling me that I just needed to work hard and get promoted to get paid better. I fell for it. I worked as hard as I could, getting promoted to the highest rank possible. I was employee of the month, but that didn’t really mean anything. I was just his pawn. With this new pay, I could afford about three decent meals a week. Still, his sweet side constantly lured me into submission. I let him control me. He constantly told me that he was like my father. I believed him. Before I left for this quest, I felt as if I had to ask him for permission…

Honestly, Julien, I don’t know how Lynn does it. Whenever he called himself my father, he was on his loving side… Lynn never really saw his loving side. He constantly called her stupid and talked about her behind her back. He cursed Lynn’s mother. Whenever she came to him for any kind of advice, he’d just end up making her feel worse. I… I just don’t know how to feel!” Yulia said, Julien gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I… I didn’t know that. It kinda makes me feel bad for treating you so badly. He seems like a jerk,” the Octoling boy said, Yulia wiping tears from her eyes. It felt good to vent. It was obvious that Julien wasn’t going anywhere.

“During one of the times where I’d decided that I didn’t make enough money, I had decided to quit….again. Whenever I told him that I was thinking of resigning, I was expecting him to become the kind, loving Mr. Grizz and offer to raise my wages. However...he just started going on about how I’d never be able to survive in the outside world because I didn’t have any talents and was good for nothing without him. He went on about how recruiting me had practically saved my life, even though I made a ton more working waiting rooms than I had ever made at Grizzco,” Yulia explained.

“You don’t deserve that, Yulia. It sounds like he  _ is _ using you in my opinion. Whenever you carry me to the promised land-figuratively and literally- I’m going to give him a stern talking to,” Julien said, puffing his chest.

“Julien, you can’t do that! He runs a high-functioning company! It’s more of a Golden Egg tycoon at this point! He’d just laugh at you if you tried to talk to him. But…There’s more things that I need to get off of my chest…”

“Okay. What are they, Yulia?”

“Well, I was talking to Scrap one day, and he had told me about overhearing a rumor that Mr. Grizz would peek into the girls’ locker room whenever they were changing, and I refused to believe it. After all, he had addressed the issue before, saying that the rumor was started by Lynn to deface the company. But… I was changing one day, and I could have sworn that I saw him look directly at me whenever he walked by. I told the other girls about it, but they just made fun of me. I honestly don’t know if I was overthinking it or if he really  _ did _ look at me…”

“WHAT?!” Julien cried.

“P-Please! Not so loud! I was obviously overthinking things! I’m being silly! As mean as he may be, he obviously does care about me! Why else would he want me to keep working?”

“Yulia, he shouldn’t be looking at you like that! You’re his daughter’s age! With how badly you said he treats his daughter and her mother, I doubt he cares for you at all,” Julien said, crossing his arms.

“Oh, don’t make assumptions! I may not believe that the previous incident is true, but this one I know is. One day, before Grizzco had opened, he took a few of us kids out to perform some test runs with some of his modified weapons. There wouldn’t be a problem, as you’re legally allowed to modify weapons in Inkopolis, but to do so, you have to have a license and the modified weapon has to be tested to make sure that it passes safety standards. Mr. Grizz wasn’t licensed and his weapons by no means passed the standards. He gave me his modified Slosher to use, the Slosher being a bucket-shaped weapon that you carry around and fling ink out of. Problem is, the Slosher was very heavy. I’m a relatively weak Inkling, so I have trouble carrying heavier weapons. Mr. Grizz refused to let me switch with someone, so one of my coworkers had decided to put his weapon down and help me instead. Whenever we used it...it blew up. My coworker, luckily, was on the side, so he wasn’t injured as badly as I was. I had burns all over my face, chest, and tentacles. Lynn, who was absolutely furious, had even decided to move in with me until the burns were healed. She’s a very caring person… The cabin I live in only has one bed, so Lynn, whose genetics allow her to breathe underwater, slept in one of the camp’s ponds while I stayed in bed. Conveniently, whenever she was going to tell her father off, he had decided to close Grizzco until the next shift. Let me tell you, those burns hurt worse than my arms ever will,” Yulia said, shivering about the thought. She was obviously getting upset, so she had decided to change the subject.

“Why are you suddenly being pleasant? I thought you’d never like me,” she said, smiling.

“What can I say? I’m a ladies’ man.”

“Oh, really? How many ladies do you know that you’re not related to?” Yulia giggled.

“Heh…about that….you’re pretty much the first one. Whenever I was young, Octavio had decided that I would be trained to join his defense force. My mother, not wanting to lose her only child, lied to him, saying that I had a terminal illness. Because of it, she never lets me out of the house. You’re one of the first people that I’ve ever met that isn’t family,” the boy said sheepishly.

“Oh, that’s terrible! Though, I can’t necessarily say that I blame your mother. She’s already lost her husband, I’m sure that she doesn’t want to lose her son, too,” Yulia said smiling gently. With that, Marlene called the two into the house, and they promptly went back inside.

In total, Yulia stayed inactive for about two weeks. Her arms didn’t exactly heal, but she was at the point where she wasn’t in immense pain and could venture out into Octo Canyon again. Every day, Julien opened up to her more, and on the last day, he had decided to become one of her companions. Her roster of friends was now Dennis, Myrtle, Giana, Chyna, and Julien.

Whenever Yulia asked if she could head out again, Marlene agreed, but the Inkling was required to come home by a certain curfew every night. Yulia, agreeing, was excited to go out with her new companions…but first, she had to find Dennis!

###    
  



	7. Chapter 7

During the two weeks that Yulia stayed in hiding, Lynn and Marina, despite their previous fight, were getting some decent progress. Marina, who now worked with her grandfather, had finally finished the first petition, which, in her opinion, would show the government that the Octolings had not been forgotten. She and Pearl had decided that they would each get a few of their friends to go around some of the major cities and gather signatures. However, before these friends could start promoting the petition, they had to get the people educated. Unfortunately, most Inklings slept through the Great Turf War lessons in school, so many of them were undereducated, meaning that the friends paid to gather the signatures would have to be willing to teach the people, too. These teachings seemed to have an impact on the people, as Lynn, who constantly took trips to the library now, was often told by the librarian, whom she had grown fond of and added to the list of elders that she respected, that tons of people requested to look at the book about the Great Turf War. There was constant buzzing in the city. Still, this seemed to mostly be among the city’s younger inhabitants, as the older folk didn’t seem remotely interested, but there was no denying that there  _ was _ an impact. Marina had guessed that the petition would be able to be launched within days, and Tavi couldn’t have been more proud of her.

Lynn, on the other hand, wasn’t having as great a time as Marina was. She had finally started making large dents in the wall, which was great. What wasn’t so great was that she now had to lug the individual stones to dispose of them, as she wanted the Octarians to feel as welcome as possible. Lynn had figured that the safest place to store the stones would be near the cliff by her cabana, as it was already a rather rocky area. Thus came the task of lugging the stones, walking back, and destroying the wall some more. Instead of just a few hours, Lynn would now be out for entire nights at a time, and Tavi worried himself sick about her.

During the say, Lynn had more issues to worry about. Remember whenever I said that Fantine had a trick up her sleeve? Well, apparently that trick was reporting Grizzco’s shady actions to the authorities. Remember, Fantine is a Salmonling that has seen a lot of Grizzco’s criminal actions, including the Slosher blowing up on Yulia and her coworker. In an act of revenge for how Mr. Grizz had treated both herself and their daughter, Fantine had tried to close his entire company down. Thus, whenever Lynn started seeing police officers conversing with her father, it worried her. However, there was no action being taken against him. For now, it was just conversation. Observation.

The real problem for Lynn showed up on the last night of Yulia’s two weeks. The Salmonling was doing her usual lugging whenever she saw a figure on the beach, just staring at her. It was too dark to make out what the figure was, but as Lynn moved, so did it. Her mind immediately raced to someone that the government had sent out to spy on her, but she tried to shrug it off as best she could. However, the real panic started to set in whenever the figure started moving closer. She was busted! She was gonna get arrested!

“O...Oi!” Lynn said, getting ready to hurl the stone in self defense. However, when the figure revealed itself, she had almost dropped the stone right on her bare foot. It… It was a Salmonling!

“Oh, Leimomi! My precious Leimomi!” the woman cried in her native tongue, running up to Lynn and embracing her. Lynn, in a state of shock, quickly shook her head. “No… No Leimomi! I’m not Leimomi! I’m Lynn!” she replied.

“Please… Do not use the name that your father gave you. I have called you  _ Lynn _ for far too long. To me, you are, and forever will be Leimomi,” the woman replied. Lynn wasn’t shocked anymore… She was just plain confused.

“Woman… Do you really think that you are my mother?! Do you really think that I am Leimomi?! I’m sorry, but you’re wrong! My mother is dead! You… You are delusional!” Lynn really hoped that Pearl’s family couldn’t hear her yelling. Hearing her yell in her own language like this probably would make them think that  _ she _ was the delusional one.

“Why do you not believe me? Your father, that wretch who runs the company, used me so long ago, promising to marry me...until he heard that I was sick. Not only sick, but sick and pregnant. Whilst most Salmonlings rejoice at pregnancy, your father was enraged. He ran here so he would not have to deal with you.”

“That is true…but if you are my mother, why did you leave me?”

“I did not want you to see me sick. I did not want you to have to watch me wither away and die. I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to have opportunity. I could have left you with my parents or brother, but I wanted you to be raised by your father, whether he liked it or not. Thus, I brought you here. If only I would have known…”

“If only you would have known that I would be neglected? Brought up learning a language I would never speak and a culture I would never be a part of? Mistreated and called stupid by my father?”

“Y-Yes… I am sorry for that. But I am a dying woman. Can we just forget about the past for now?”

“I do not believe that you are my mother. My mother would not have done that to me.”

“Leimomi… Do you not remember this voice? The voice that had talked to you so tenderly when you were but a babe? Sickness has destroyed some of it, but for the most part, it remains unchanged.”

Lynn tried her hardest to remember. Her mother’s face she had long forgotten, but there was something about that voice that  _ was _ kind of familiar...NO! This is what the woman  _ wanted _ her to think!

“P-Please… Do you remember this?” the woman asked, slowly moving her cloak to reveal a tribal tattoo on her right arm. It was long faded due to years of neglect, but Lynn remembered gazing at it as a child, getting lost in the intricate design. From that moment, she knew that this woman was not lying.

“I do not know how to feel. I was finally starting to establish my life here, and then you come and tell me that this life has been a lie. You tell me that my name is not actually my name. You are my mother, and I wish I could run and embrace you, but I can’t. I’m torn,” Lynn said, looking away from her mother.

“Leimomi… I have suffered the same fate. My real name, Akela, which means  _ graceful and noble,  _ has been lost in time. Now, I am cursed to be known as Fantine, as the people claim that it sounds like the name of a grieving mother. Your real name means  _ child of pearl, _ as I still loved you despite what your father had done. Whenever your father was forced to take care of you, he changed it. You were not a pearl to him.”

“Woman… You drift too far. I think the sickness has been affecting you in more ways than one. Why did you seek me out?”

“I came here to find you so I can die in peace. My time is limited. My life will end in a matter of days. I wanted to spend these last days with you, daughter. I want you to be the one to bury me. I want you to be the one who builds my coffin. I have watched you grow up, even though you never saw me. I have nothing else to live for. I am not afraid anymore.”

“You came to establish a relationship with me….just to have me lose you?! Are you out of your mind?! As selfish as that may be, you are my mother, and I must honor your decision. Honor is everything. I have no extra room in my cabana, but I will sleep outside if I must,” Lynn mumbled, leading her mother away. Little did Lynn know Pearl and her siblings, had watched the whole thing from the balcony. Pearl promptly told Marina.

**********

“Mother, I believe that we need to have a conversation,” Julien said to Marlene as Yulia was finishing putting her stockings on.

“Really, now? All right, let me hear it,” Marlene replied.

“As you know, I’ve recently turned 16. I think it’s about time that you’ve recognized the fact that I’ve come of age, Mother.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“What I mean is that I’m a grown-ass man and I want to see this big honkin’ world! I want to go and meet some LADIES, Mother! I’m not a little boy anymore! I’m a man! I’m FULL of testosterone!” Julien said, putting his hand on his hip in a sassy way. Suddenly, Marlene had put her arm on the table, challenging her son.

“If you’re really a man, then you should be able to beat me in an arm wrestling match. See what the testosterone does for you then,” Marlene teased. Her son flushed.

“MOTHER! I’m a lover, not a fighter! I have no need for brawn! As much as I’d love to let you slam my arm into the table, it’s simply not part of my personality!” Julien replied, panicking. Marlene had a tendency to lift both sick patients and heavy equipment, so there was no denying that she was strong. Julien obviously wasn’t a threat against her.

“Of course, son. I understand. At this age, your hormones are probably driving you crazy. All you desire is to feel the tender, loving touch of a young lady, don’t you?”

“Yes, Mother!”

“You wish to embrace a lady yourself?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Well, good luck finding someone down here. I suppose that I can let you go with Yulia, so long as YOU come home at curfew, too. I understand that I’ve had you locked away. I understand that you’re not a boy anymore. Go ahead, leave home,” Marlene said, walking into the kitchen rather bitterly. Julien felt sick.

“I hope Mother will be all right…” Julien said, looking at his mother. “B-But...whenever she sees you carrying both me and my intense burden across the border and into the promised land, she’ll be more than elated! The boy...no, the MAN whom she loves so dearly will be making it big!” he cried smugly, his dark eyes sparkling.

“O-Of course, Julien,” Yulia chuckled. “Though, before we get going, I want to check on Myrtle and find my beloved Dennis… He thinks I’m dead, and I feel horrible for him. I’m sure that he’s in great grief,” Yulia explained, opening the door.

“WAIT! I’m going with you, too!” Giana cried right as Yulia was going to walk out the door. Yulia nodded, and she and the two Octolings walked out of the house together.

“Well, where do you think Dennis is?” Julien asked as the trio started their journey. Yulia seemed relatively lost, as she hadn’t really been in the area before. Whenever Commander Briney was carrying her here, her blurry vision was focused entirely on his face.

“He’s definitely with his father somewhere. I feel like they would be in Cephalon HQ, but I don’t want you two going in there. I don’t want Octavio hurting you guys,” Yulia said rather protectively.

“C’mon, Yulia, he won’t hurt us. We’re his people! Our dads work as his commanders!” Giana replied.

“Your dads may be his commanders, but I doubt he’s intimate with any of them. They don’t choose to join him, he drafts them. He’s forced these men to leave their wives and children to stay in his underground bunker and protect him. Do...Do they even get paid that much?”

“They make more than the typical Octarian wage, but they still don’t make a lot. Mother makes more than my dad as a nurse, I think,” Julien replied. Giana stayed silent, only nodding a little.

“Of course. I doubt he treats them fairly. They’re probably just disposable to him. I hope that Octavio thinks that I am dead. If he were to find out that I had escaped, I hate to think of what he would do to his commanders. However, my blood stains the floor of the room and the uniform of your father, Julien. I’m sure that it was enough blood to convince Octavio that I was murdered,” Yulia said calmly.

“Oh, Yulia! No more talk about blood and murder! We can go to Cephalon HQ together and you can go in yourself. We’ll stay off to the side so you don’t worry about us. Then, you can find  _ your beloved Dennis _ and we can all be on our merry way,” Julien said as both he and his cousin grabbed one of Yulia’s hands as a way of comforting her.

After walking for a while, Julien broke the silence once more. “So, Yulia, we don’t really know you that well. I know that you’ve vented to me about your job, but there has to be more! What’s some stuff that you’re into?” he asked, his cousin seeming interested as well. Yulia blushed. Yulia was so absorbed in her plan that she had...forgotten that she even  _ had _ interests.

“Well, I live a life unlike a lot of Inklings my age. While most of my friends enjoy friendly fighting and competition, I live a quiet, more scholarly life. I prefer to stay in my little cabin, decorated with merchandise of my favorite hockey team, the Inkopolis Squaps, reading and learning. I’ve also been reading the words of several Octarian philosophers from the days before the war, when our races were combined and thriving. It’s common knowledge that the Octarian people were brilliant thinkers compared to the Inklings of old, who really preferred to spend all day eating, sleeping, and having fun. I say  _ of old  _ because the tides have certainly changed since then, especially with the war ruining society. I do not know if the Octarians remain scholarly, as I do not know you guys well enough, but the Inklings, while still seeming less intelligent, have definitely improved...I guess. My best friend, Pearl, constantly makes fun of me for reading philosophy books, saying that they were written by  _ old, cranky farts who are dissatisfied with life and don’t have anything better to do. _ People say that I need to get out of the house more...but I don’t have a lot of friends. I’m physically weak. I cannot do much. Whenever my boss tried to get me to lift a heavy weapon, I fell straight to the ground. Perhaps this was the reason that my parents conveniently left the day before Lottie hit."

“Woah, woah, woah! You’re going on a tangent! Lottie? Your parents? I don’t know anything that you’re talking about!” Giana said, gently squeezing Yulia’s hand.

Before Giana or Julien could say anything else, Yulia once again blurted out the entire story about how her parents happened to leave for a tropical archipelago the day before one of Inkopolis’s worst hurricanes happened to hit.

“Surely the people on the ship knew that the hurricane was coming. Surely at least  _ one _ of them was able to make it out all right,” Julien tried to comfort.

“My parents would not have left without each other. My mother gave up everything for my father, and my father took extraordinary care of my mother in return. My parents had a love for each other that went beyond the definition of  _ love _ . In fact, if they loved me even a quarter as much as they loved each other, I would be content. I was only necessary to be an heir to the company. They would have been just fine without me. I was just an add-on, an extension. I hindered them. In the end, they probably chose to die together instead of live without the one they loved with every fiber of their being. At least they don’t have to deal with my shenanigans anymore,” Yulia mumbled to herself as her trembling hands started to sweat. “They deserve to be together in their afterlife, away from me.”

“Yulia, you snap that beak shut right now! If your parents had heard you say this stuff, I’m pretty sure that they’d die of laughter. I still may not know you that well, but I’m certain that you’re not so horrible that your own parents would want to abandon you,” Julien said, striking another sassy hand-on-hip pose.

“When my parents left, I lost everything. I used to be on top of the food chain. Tentatek’s headquarters are right on top of the Inkopolis News Station, so everyone who goes to admire the news ladies sees the company and knows who my parents are. I was going to inherit my dad’s position. I was going to be successful. My family had money and was well respected. After my parents died, I lost everything. I can’t inherit anything because the government can’t confirm that my parents are actually dead. They claim that they’re sending a ship to look for bodies or survivors, but they just ended up turning the ship into a turf war stage. It makes them money, so they’ve decided that teenage entertainment is more important than helping hurricane victims.”

“Yulia, please..” Giana said sadly.

“I was at the bottom. I wasn’t recognized anymore. I was poor. I was living by myself in a huge mansion that constantly reminded me of my dead parents. Pearl’s family, the Houzuki family, took control of the house and also took me in, letting me have a cabin in their camp. It’s small, but it’s all I can afford. They said that I didn’t have to pay rent, but I still do because I feel awful. With Grizzco’s rubbish salary and my rent, sometimes I can’t even afford to buy food. I have to accept it from my friends. I-I just don’t want to be a beggar anymore,” Yulia whimpered. In fact, the night before she had left for the canyon, she had a breakdown. She was surprised that Marina even  _ wanted _ to talk to her after that breakdown.

Yulia had remembered her pained, anguished cries that had come from the cabin. Marina, like a good friend, had come to see if Yulia had wanted to go to dinner with Pearl and herself, but Yulia had suddenly started throwing a fit.

“I can’t take it anymore, Marina! I don’t deserve to be getting things for free! Please, just take my money!” the teenage Inkling shouted. The generally calm, affectionate Yulia was being very unlike herself. She was usually incredibly slow to anger.

“Yulia, calm down. You’re 16 years old. Pearl is 21 and still lives with her parents. You work harder than any adult I know! You… You just need to quit your job at Grizzco! Just working the Ranked Battle waiting rooms is enough! They really want you to work more, you know. If you would just ditch Grizzco and work there, you’d get breaks every two hours and get paid as much as the average adult! Some people feed their entire families with that money! Lynn even offered to hang out with you while you work, Yuls! Plus, working the waiting rooms, I’m fairly certain that your boss wouldn’t, y’know… abuse you there,” Marina said, handing the stacks of cash back to Yulia.

“Oh, please, Marina! Mr. Grizz doesn’t abuse me! He just keeps me on track! I can’t stray away or else it’ll hurt the company!”

“Yulia! Being told that doing Salmon Runs is your only reason to live is abuse. Keeping a sixteen year old girl up until odd hours of the night for pretty much no money is abuse. He’s using you! He’s exploiting you!”

“He loves me! He wants to make the world a better place!”

“He loves money. He loves profit. He doesn’t even love his own daughter, why the hell would he love you?”

“Please, Marina! Just be quiet for a minute! You always tell me to be calm, but you know that I cannot control myself!” Yulia cried, shoving her head into her book,  _ Anatomy of a Steelhead _ . 

“Y’know, Yulia, you know a ton about Salmonids. Maybe instead of beating their faces in, you could teach people about them! I’m sure that the folks down at Museum d’Alfonsino would love to have you come in! Their pay would probably make you more money than a week at Grizzco! You could bring Pooky along! Even… I know Lynn hates going into her Salmonid form, but I’m sure she’d do it for you,” Marina added, looking at Yulia’s very large collection of old books about Salmonids, written at a time where Inklings actually cared for Salmonids instead of robbing them. If you would just take my advice, you wouldn’t have to ask for so much. Though, Pearl and I will always help you out, no matter how much money you have. You know how much Pearl loves you,” Marina smiled. Yulia nodded.

“I promised to always be there for you, and I’m not breaking that promise. It took me two months to get you to even talk to me, and I consider being so close to you a privilege. I’m not going to lose it over a job. Tomorrow, Lynn and I are taking you to Grizzco and you’re resigning. Grizz won’t say anything with me around. Now...come on. Let’s go to dinner,” the kind Octarian said, holding out her hand. Yulia took it, wiped her tears, and the two walked off together. Of course, Marina and Lynn never took Yulia to Grizzco, as the whole Callie dilemma had changed the course of action.

“Yulia…snap out of it! Pull yourself together! Let’s talk about how successful you’re gonna be when you get us out of here! Everyone’s gonna see you carrying me into the promised land! You’re gonna be a celebrity! We’re gonna go in there and beat the snot outta that no good boss of yours!” Julien said, giving a sassy hip shake.

“Oh, Julien… I do not wish to be violent! Mr. Grizz may have wronged me, but I do not have enough strength to hate him. I just need to take deep breaths…” Yulia said, sitting down for a minute.

“All right, Yulia,” Giana said as she and her cousin sat on either side of Yulia, “why don’t you tell us about those  _ Salmonids _ you mentioned earlier. We don’t have them down here.”

“Oh, if I told you  _ everything _ I know about them, I’d be here for ages! I know more about Salmonids than my friend who  _ is _ a Salmonid knows! Then again, she shows absolutely no interest in caring for herself, so that’s actually not very surprising. I know their anatomy their diet, any diseases and illnesses that can spread, how to cure those diseases, and how to disarm them harmlessly! Especially Maws… I’ve been eaten by them so many times that I know how to make them throw me up without setting off a bomb! Seriously, I know so much about Salmonids that I could teach a class on them…” Yulia smiled. “Well, Marina said that the local museum  _ would _ probably pay me to teach a class....”

“Exactly! Show the Grizz man that you don’t need him anymore!” Julien added. Both he and his cousin, who had no idea what Salmonids were, were very concerned, however. Yulia…had been eaten? What was that about setting off bombs? Oh well, they had decided not to question it.

Yulia went on and on, discussing in great detail Salmonid diseases and their cures, before all three of them had made a unanimous decision that Yulia had recovered and was well enough to move on.

“I’m sorry for that breakdown, you two. I’ve just been thinking a lot lately. Now that I’m here in Octo Canyon and not in Inkopolis, I actually have time to. If I were being honest, I think I’d almost rather be down here. Back at home, when I wasn’t working, I was reading…” Yulia said, shrugging.

After a bit more walking, Giana, who was leading the way, as she was really the only one who actually knew how to  _ get _ to Cephalon HQ, broke the silence once more. “So, Yulia…did you have...a special someone back in Inkopolis?” she asked. Yulia flushed and blushed at the same time.

“W-Well, about that…I had a bit of a reputation in Inkopolis, and I kinda deserved it. I had the tendency to be kinda...flirty. My father wanted to keep me as innocent as possible, but his plan backfired. Once I had gotten attention from a boy, I realized how much I enjoyed it. I-I would get them to pay attention to me, but once they got sick of me, I just moved right on to the next, knowing that they weren’t interested in anything permanent. The girls started to call me a lolita. Whenever I’d work with boys at Grizzco, the girls would ask me if I could control myself. It was all friendly teasing, but...still. You’d think that the teasing would get me to stop, but I just...couldn’t. After my parents had disappeared, I just felt so lonely. All of that attention really helped me in a way. But…oddly, the person that I was closest to dating wasn’t a boy...It was my best friend that I mentioned earlier, Pearl.”

Julien and Giana were all ears.

“Now, I honestly was never attracted to girls, but Pearl was just...different. She had been there for so much of my life. We had some not-so-humble beginnings, with Pearl practically beating me into submission or threatening to slam my face into the sidewalk if I didn’t obey her every command, but once her mom made her finally apologize, she suddenly became like an overprotective big sister. It could have been because she wanted me to keep my hands off of her youngest brother, but I like to think it was because she cared for me. We often did things that a lot of  _ ordinary  _ best friends did not do, like cuddling and even little kisses. Even whenever she started her music group, Off the Hook, she still made time for me. W-We never really established a relationship, but still…we were practically in one,” Yulia stuttered, blushing pretty hard.

“Well, Yulia, never be ashamed of your love life. We all show love in different ways,” Julien said, smiling. Yulia smiled back.

“All right, we’re almost at Cephalon HQ. Are you sure you want to go in by yourself? What if you see Octavio? He’ll probably try to hurt you again…” Giana said as Julien put his arm around Yulia in a protective way.

“I’m sure. I just really want to see Dennis again! He won’t let Octavio hurt me, I promise. I know I’ll be all right,” Yulia said confidently. Once they had arrived at their destination, Yulia crossed the bridge and once again descended down the long ladder.

“Say, boy, I never did hear what your mother thought about me going and offing that Inkling. I assume she was happy?” Yulia heard Octavio say from below.

“Yes,” replied Dennis, “she was. She was happy that you murdered her in cold blood!”

“For the last time, boy, I did what I had to!”

“So you’re saying that if I killed your precious little Sellie and said  _ I did what I had to, _ you’d be okay with it?! Face it, she’s your favorite. She’s the only one you care about.”

“Oh, stop it! Both of you! Please!” Yulia cried, not shouting, but not speaking softly, either. Both Octavio and Dennis looked at her, utter shock on their faces.

“What the f-” Octavio started.

“OH MY GOD!” Dennis cried, his voice drowning out his father’s profanity as he went to embrace the Inkling, nearly bringing her to the ground. “I thought he killed you! I thought you were gone! I-I’ll never let you out of my sight again…” Dennis sobbed, burying his face into Yulia’s hair. “Y-You’re injured…”

“Dennis, I’m all right. I’ve been taken care of,” Yulia replied, gently running her fingers through the boy’s hair as she looked Octavio straight in the face. “As for you, sir, I know that you are disappointed and wish to see me in pain, but there will be a time when the tides will change on you. You will welcome me in your arms as one of your own.”

“Shut it, Li’l Mama,” Octavio replied.

“If you truly hated me, sir, you would not use such a nickname. Nicknames are a symbol of affection, after all.”

“Shut. It.”

“As you wish, sir. I am obedient.”

“She’s going to be the hope that Octo Canyon needs, dad,” Dennis said, turning to his father, “and if you want to hurt her, you have to hurt me, first.”

With that, Dennis helped Yulia up, and together they climbed the ladder, leaving Cephalon HQ, meeting up with Julien and Giana, who were waiting. The cousins had heard of Dennis, but had never met him in person, so brief introductions were given. They had decided to get themselves some food...and they knew just the place!

**********

Lynn now had more than the wall on her hands. Fantine, as she mentioned many times, was dying. She was living out her final days. Lynn had taken the sick woman into her house and given her the bottom bunk where she slept long hours and hardly got up, while Tavi took the top. Lynn just slept on the couch. If Lynn offered to cook her mother something, she refused, saying that she wasn’t hungry. Lynn was very loyal in caring for her mother, making sure that she was always as comfortable as she could be. Lynn constantly made sure that her mother’s gills were wet, as drying out was very uncomfortable for a Salmonling. Lynn usually preferred to “soak”, or sit in Pearl’s hot tub with the lid closed, secretly wishing that Emperor would discover her in the nude, but that obviously wasn’t an option for Fantine, who could hardly walk. Lynn was taking excellent care of her mother, much better care than she had ever given herself.

Taking care of her mother wasn’t the only thing that Lynn had promised to do for Fantine. Lynn had also promised to build her mother’s coffin. Now, Lynn had never built a coffin before, so this dinky little one she was making wasn’t going to be a masterpiece, but that’s not what Fantine wanted. All she wanted was a coffin handmade by her daughter, who was supposedly a master woodworker. Whenever Lynn wasn’t taking care of Fantine or knocking out that damned wall, she was working on the coffin.

Lynn, who was so cruel to her mother just the previous night, didn’t want to admit that she had quickly grown attached to the dying woman, but she did. I will not go so far as to say that it is impossible for a child to hate their mother, as it certainly is, but there was something about Fantine’s tenderness, especially Lynn’s memories of Fantine’s tenderness during her toddlerhood, that could not make her hate the woman. From the moment that she had rested her head on the pillow, Lynn decided to love her.

Lynn had one faithful companion throughout this struggle, and it was Tavi. While Lynn worked on the wall-which was every night, as Lynn refused to let a dying mother distract her from that awful thing- Tavi took care of the sickly woman, which honestly wasn’t a very hard task, as Fantine slept through most of the night. During the day, he was there to support Lynn emotionally, as the Salmonling was going through a lot.

“It’s important to just be there for her,” Tavi explained as Lynn was working on her mother’s coffin. “Let her know that you’re there. If she wants to talk to you, don’t tune her out. Listen to what she has to say. She’ll probably share some memories from when you were a baby. She may talk about your father. Even if it hurts, just listen. It’s also important to let her know that she doesn’t have to try to hold on because of you. You need to tell her that whenever she feels as if she can’t hold on any longer, she can go. It may be hard to let her go, considering that you just found her again, but it’s one of the most important things that you can do,” he taught, gently rubbing Lynn’s back. Lynn wasn’t crying, but she was obviously distraught. It didn’t help that she was also worrying about Marina’s petition, which had been sent into circulation that day.

**********

Whenever Myrtle saw the four walking into her restaurant, her jaw nearly hit the floor. Much like when she first saw Yulia, she jumped the counter, immediately seating the three Octolings. Yulia, however, she had started giving an intense checkup to. Whenever she moved Yulia’s scarf aside, however, she jumped back rather hard.

“Honey buns, your neck is bruised pretty bad...AND THAT’S WHAT THAT BRUTE DID TO YA ARMS?!” she cried, looking at the long rows of bandages along Yulia’s arms. “Ohhh, I’d love to fight him with my bare fists!”

“My… My neck is bruised? Where?” Yulia asked.

“Oh, honey… It’s bruised everywhere! I can’t believe it don’t hurt!”

Myrtle then reached for the Inkling’s neck. Once Myrtle’s fingers brushed it, Yulia backed away, once again covering it with her scarf. “N-Now it hurts…” She whimpered.

“Lemme see those arms, bub. I need to make sure that Mar’s doin’ that job a’hers. I hold that woman up to  _ very _ high standards, y’know,” Myrtle said, slowly grabbing one of Yulia’s arms and gently undoing the bandages.

Yulia freaked out a bit as she saw the condition of her arms. Apparently the wounds had opened up at some point, as her arms had some blood on them, but they seemed to be healing again.

“I-I’LL KILL HIM!” Myrtle said angrily. Yulia tried to calm the woman down, and Myrtle eventually did calm down, sitting Yulia beside her friends as Myrtle took a little break to sit beside her companions.

“So...Dennis...your mother was pleased with my apparent death?” Yulia asked.

“You should have seen the disgusting look on her face. I told her almost two weeks ago and I can still remember how happy she looked. She seemed excited. She said something about the cause of Marina’s death being gone once and for all…” Dennis replied.

“She...thinks that I’m the one that killed Marina?”

“She thinks that all Inklings are responsible for killing Marina due to that Squid Sisters concert...but she knows better! She can’t hate Inklings! She can’t hate the Squid Sisters! She’s half Inkling herself! Her sister was up there performing whenever Marina decided that she needed to live a better life!” Dennis said incredibly loudly, everyone in the restaurant able to hear him.

“So that’s why they took Callie…” Yulia said, Dennis nodding. “My dad chose to take Callie instead of Marie because he knew that Mama would never hurt Callie. He never planned to harm  _ her,  _ he wanted to harm Inklings through her. It was people like you that he really wanted to hurt,” he explained.

“I can see that...but I must learn to not be afraid of him anymore! If Octavio hates me, I can do nothing. Without him, the Octarians cannot be free,” Yulia said calmly.

“Who needs him?! He’ll never change his mind! He’s stubborn, just like his father! He thinks that exterminating the entire Inkling population will free us, but it won’t! You’re the one who can rescue us, Yulia,” Dennis said. He was incredibly hot-headed and easily got fired up, but was able to cool down just as easily.

“I do not want to be the one to free the Octarians. I believe that you guys can free yourself. I just want to be the confidence boost that you guys need. I know that you are an independent species that can rescue yourselves without the help of an Inkling, especially a weak one such as myself,” Yulia smiled as she said this. It was true. She didn’t want to be honored as some  kind of saint. She wanted to be honored for rescuing Callie, but not for saving the Octarians. As for the Octarians, she was doing what she believed was right.

“Yulia, you’re not a tool! First you claim that your parents only wanted you for the company, now you say this?! I don’t understand. Do you not understand that you’re alive? You have feelings, you know. I know that deep down, you’re someone who wants to be shown love and appreciation, especially since that scummy boss of yours doesn’t give you any,” Julien said, slamming his fist on the table. “It’s okay to want to be recognized for something every once in a while, especially things like this!” It doesn’t make you a bad person, Yulia!” Giana added. Dennis and Myrtle agreed.

“You don’t look like you get much love or appreciation either, Julien” Yulia replied.

“Y-Yulia...nonsense! Mother and Father happen to love me very much! I think you’re just getting hungry… That’s it!”

Upon hearing the word  _ hungry _ , Myrtle sprung into action, running into the kitchen as fast as she could. Yulia just shook her head.

“I don’t really eat much. I used to eat once a week before Marina started yelling at me about it…” she shrugged.

“Yulia...how are you still alive?” Giana asked. Once again, the Inkling just shrugged. “You just get used to it when you’re not able to afford food. Just a bowl of rice was good enough for me. If I was lucky, I could go to my favorite restaurant and order shrimp tempura. That’s my favorite food, shame it’s so expensive.”

As the four waited for their food, a man who Yulia instantly recognized as Chyna’s dad came into the restaurant, calling Myrtle out into the dining area. He made eye contact with the Inkling, and instead of being afraid or even angry, he gave her a small smile. Chyna had definitely told him about her.

“Ohh, Mr. Wells! Hello, hello! How’s that sweet li’l baby of yours doin’?” Myrtle asked whilst simultaneously stirring some kind of batter.

“The baby’s doing just fine, but I’m here to order some food for Chyna. She’s catching cold again. We don’t want her out of the house in case it gets worse. This should cover it,” the man said, giving Myrtle some crumpled paper and dented coins.

“T-Thank you, Mr. Wells. I’ll get right on it,” Myrtle said, obviously feeling bad about taking the money. She quickly rushed back into the kitchen. Mr. Wells then moved to the table where the Octarians were sitting, not taking a seat himself, but smiling.

“...Julien, is it? Whenever you get home, make sure to thank your mother for me. She has been nothing but lovely to our entire family. Chyna would have surely died without her help. Her body is so weak that she can’t fight off common colds. I know that your mother only gets paid for helping Octavio’s men, so the fact that she’s willing to care for Chyna for free is unfathomable to me,” Mr. Wells smiled.

“Of course, Mother would do anything for Chyna. She’s like a second child to her,” Julien replied, also smiling.

“As for you,” Mr. Wells said, looking to Yulia, “I do not blame you for Chyna hurting herself. This recent injury wasn’t as bad as some of her other ones. Ever since we adopted that baby, Chyna started to feel as if she had to be the breadwinner of the family, considering that I have to take care of my sick wife. I wanted to be mad at you, but I know it’s not your fault. Chyna doesn’t take her personal safety into consideration whenever she does these odd jobs. Her poor mother begs her to try to find a more stable job, but she doesn’t listen. Chyna knows well enough that the fall could have killed her. If my poor little Chyna was to die...my wife would die of grief. I couldn’t survive with just the baby…” Mr. Wells said before Myrtle came out with a bag of food.

“Tell the family that I said hello,” Myrtle smiled, gently patting the man’s shoulder as he thanked her, quickly walking off.

“Gosh, I just don’t understand why the family took that baby in,” Giana said. “They can hardly afford to take care of themselves, let alone take care of a baby.”

“Surely they thought that they could afford a second child. Though, if they wouldn’t have taken him in, who would have? If they couldn’t do it, they wouldn’t have. It was the family’s choice, and I guess we ought to support it,” Yulia replied calmly.

“I suppose so. I just hope she stops taking these odd jobs whenever she gets to the promised land. Maybe she can work at a nice convenience store or something,” Giana replied. Yulia shivered at the thought of the convenience store. As amazing as the parfaits, onigiri, and steamed buns were, Yulia felt disgusted. She had flashbacks of that fateful day when she was getting food for Lynn...the day that she let Mr. Grizz ruin her entire life.

“O-Of course. I bet that she would flourish there. She seems kind enough to work the registers,” Yulia smiled. “She’d have access to the delicious food, too,” Yulia chuckled. Conveniently, Myrtle slammed a lobster tail in front of her face, served with some kind of salad. The other Octolings got something similar.

“You better eat this,” Myrtle said before bounding off into the kitchen.

“I have to ask...where  _ does _ Myrtle get her food? There’s no way that lobsters and such could live down here,” Yulia said, looking at the giant hunk of seafood with an intimidated face.

“Rumor has it that Myrtle has permission from the commanders to go up to Inkopolis through the pothole while the people of Inkopolis are asleep. They make her swear to come back and threaten to kill her if she doesn’t. Not like Myrtle would want to stay there, though. She has a real calling for making sure that every Octarian has food in their stomachs. She stays all day, the one day a week where her restaurant is closed, and comes back when we’re all asleep. As bouncy and lovable as she may seem, Myrtle is an incredibly shady person. For all we know, she could use Inkling in her dishes!” Julien teased.

“Julien Joseph Briney, I do NOT!” Myrtle, who had been walking by, said as she playfully slapped the back of the boy’s head.

“Anyway...what are your plans for now, Yulia?” Julien asked, rubbing the back of his head. Before Yulia could even answer, Dennis spoke up.

“I want to take Yulia to my home. I want her to confront my dad in his weakest form. I want her to spread the same hope that we have to my siblings. I want her to look my mom straight in the eyes and let her know that she survived the Octo Samurai,” Dennis said, a confident look in his eyes. The look on Myrtle’s face, however, was one that could not have been replicated in a million years.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT!” Myrtle cried, grabbing Yulia protectively. “You’re not letting my little bubbawubba go to that house of yours and get beat to a smithereen!”

“Come on, Myrtle!” Dennis argued back.

Dennis, being extra hot-headed today, was about to start a shouting match with Myrtle. Yulia, however, quickly got between the two to stop them.

“Please, you two. Shouldn’t I be able to make my own choices here?” Yulia asked mildly, both Dennis and Myrtle looking at her.

“Oh yeah, Yulia. I guess we didn’t think about that. What do you want to do?” Dennis asked. His face was red, but he calmed down relatively quickly.

“I’d like to go with Dennis. I can’t be Octavio’s enemy, Myrtle. If he continues to hate me, there will not be positive results in the end. I want there to be a revolution, but I do not want there to be war. If the people went to war with Octavio, they would be going to war with a son, a husband, and a father. I don’t want anyone to suffer, not even Octavio,” Yulia said softly, fiddling with her food. “The Great Turf War was absolutely horrible. I don’t want to start a second one.”

Myrtle wiped sweat from her forehead, sitting down. “All right, all right, bubba. I guess I gotta let ya go. I’m seein’ that you’re firm in your beliefs, here. I’ll let Dennis take ya. Please, boo. Just take care of yourself. Don’t get yourself in too much trouble with the boss man. If he starts to get mad at’cha, just let him cool down. Same with the lady, too,” Myrtle went on, giving Yulia a gentle hug.

“We’ll be with you, too,” Julien said confidently. Giana agreed. Myrtle seemed reluctant, but she agreed to let Yulia go. She bounded off to the kitchen, but pretty much everyone could tell that her heart was broken.

“Well, we should get heading out. We should get today’s business done before curfew. I don’t want to break curfew the first night Mother sends me out,” Julien said. Having finished eating, the Inkling and the three Octolings left the restaurant.


	8. Chapter 8

During the time that Yulia and her group were walking to Octavio’s house, Lynn had taken another trip to the library while Fantine was sleeping. This was a different trip, however, as the librarian had called and  _ requested _ she come down. Probably to talk about the old book, as with the petition in its first day of circulation, talk of the Octarians was booming. After entering the library, the librarian quickly stopped her.

“Oh, Lynn! There’s been a very long line of people wishing to check out the book today. It’s been amazing! Oh, so many youths wishing to learn more about the Great Turf War! However, I’ve received a book from someone today that I’d like to give to you… You’ll see why,” the librarian said, slowly giving Lynn a somewhat rugged book. It definitely had some damage to the cover, but the pages looked relatively unaffected.

“Someone who came in had found this washed up on the beach and had decided to give it to me, as they said that it looked valuable. However, the title is in another language. Whenever I opened the book, I saw that there were pictures of Salmonlings, and I was wondering if you could find any use in it,” she said. The title was somewhat faded, but Lynn could just make it out. “ _ Island Birth Record, Decade…. _ Oh, gosh! T-This book… My birth should be recorded in this!” Lynn said. The Salmonlings, not having a huge population, marked down all of their birth records in homemade books rather than more official documents. There were multiple copies made for each decade, so it wasn’t like Lynn owning this was a huge issue.

“Ma’am, do you mind if I look for myself in this?” Lynn asked.

“It’s not of very much use in our library, considering that it’s written in another language, so I was just planning on giving it to you,” the librarian replied.

Thanking her, Lynn quickly flipped through the pages to her birth year. Her heart began to pound as she stumbled across the name:  _ Leimomi Akela Kai Kawai O Hoapili. _ You see, a Salmonling’s “first name” was actually the name their mother gave them, along with the first names of their mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother or father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, according to their sex. The “O” stood for “of”, and the last word was the village that they were born in, in Lynn’s case, Hoapili. Under her name there was basic information such as her sex, weight, etc… but the hardest hit to her took the form of the slots where they were to write the name of her parents. Under the slot for her mother’s name was what she would expect: Fantine’s full name. However...under the slot for her father’s name...they had left it blank. Lynn would never know her father’s real name...not even what village he came from. Actually, according to this book, Lynn didn’t even  _ have _ a father.

Then, Lynn looked at the pictures. Salmonlings weren’t up to date with technology, cameras pretty much being the only technology they had, and these pictures were 17 years old, so the quality was iffy, but they were still good pictures nonetheless. The first one was of her, obviously a newborn, resting on a leaf which was part of some kind of backdrop. She was completely in the nude, which was still pretty common for Lynn, honestly, and the look on her face showed that she was in a less than stellar mood. However, on the next page, there was another picture, and this one pretty much broke her heart. It featured Lynn, probably taken the same day or a day later, in the arms of her mother, who was planting a small kiss on her head. Fantine looked like a completely different woman. No longer was she the deteriorating, dying shell of a woman that was in one of Lynn’s extra beds. This Fantine...no, her name was Akela, was strong, happy, and healthy. No longer was she wearing her cloak, she was decked out in her traditional dress, proudly showing off her tattoo, which was long faded now. Lynn, of course, was still naked, but was in a much better mood, as evident by the huge smile on her face. She was probably smiling so much because she was practically mooning the photographer...and anyone who viewed the photo. Lynn had realized then and there that she had pretty much the same personality as her baby self, as she’d happily do the same now...if it were more socially acceptable to do.

“Well, thank you, ma’am,” Lynn said, smiling. She left the library with a huge grin on her face, holding the book close to her. She would definitely have to show Fantine whenever she woke up.

**********

“I’m still trying to comprehend  _ why _ you want to talk to my dad after what he did to you. I know that I tried to push you toward doing it, but still. It’s awfully brave of you,” Dennis said as the other three followed him.

“Like I said at the restaurant, I cannot have him hate me. The glory of the Octarian race gaining their freedom should not go to me. It should go to him. He is your leader, after all,” Yulia replied quietly. Julien was going to bark in protest, but he rather quickly decided that it wasn’t the time.

“Though, Dennis, I am intrigued by something. Could I ask you a question?” Yulia asked.

“Of course. Shoot.”

“Your grandfather...you do not speak fondly of him. I have heard about the issues he went through at the end of his life, but do you not think that there’s more to that? From stories I had heard, he was a very respectable man for most of his life. Why do you not give him a second chance?”

“I-It’s just hard for me, Yuls. I never knew him. He died whenever Marina was just a baby. I want to believe that he was a good guy, but the only good things I hear are from Mama, and she’d rather die than say something bad about him. All I know is that he hated Inklings toward the end of his life, and I can’t forgive him for that. Maybe if I actually knew him I could, but he’s dead, so that’ll never happen,” Dennis explained.

“Well… I honestly don’t blame him. Inklings are horrible. We took, and we do not cease taking.”

Dennis suddenly turned around. “Yulia, were you in that war?”

“O-Obviously not… but my grandpa was. He would have f-”

“He was, you weren’t. No more of this  _ we _ stuff, you hear me?”

“Dennis…”

“No more!” Dennis snapped as he continued walking. Yulia was shocked and sad at the same time, Julien quickly bringing her close to him and whispering words of comfort.

The walk was silent for a while, then the four had arrived at a shanty looking house. It was bigger than Marlene’s house, but still wasn’t a mansion. Much like Marlene’s house, it was pretty run-down. Julien and Giana decided to wait outside, hanging out in a little park not too far from the house which was built specifically for Octavio’s children when they were young. Of course the cousins weren’t going to play on the equipment, but it did have a nice place to sit.

“Well, this is my place. I don’t think my parents are home, but my siblings definitely will be,” Dennis said, about to knock on the door.

“Oh? Are they out doing something?”

Dennis shook his head. “They honestly haven’t sat down and had a conversation in a long time. They get into bed at night, then part ways as soon as they wake up. They don’t even tell each other  _ I love you _ anymore. My dad just goes and does his job as leader while Mama sits and broods in private. She really only talks to my siblings and me, and most of her talk is about how much she hates Inklings for supposedly killing Marina. Mama lives in darkness. She thinks she hates the Inklings, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t hate Callie. She doesn’t hate her mother. She doesn’t hate herself. I want to show you to my siblings. I want to show them that Mama is wrong. I want to show them that there  _ are _ good Inklings out there,” Dennis, now cooled, said, gently smiling.

With that, Dennis rapped on the door in some kind of pattern. There was quiet at first, but then the clamor begun.

“Finny! Rio! Dad’s home Or...IS IT MAMA?!” a female voice cried, two male voices quickly following in the same excited tone.

“I’ll get it! I’ll get it!” one of the male voices cried excitedly as quick footsteps nearly ran toward the door. The door had swung open and the boy who answered was quickly going to great who he had presumed was one of his parents, but he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that it was Dennis…with a strange creature.

“Good afternoon, Rio,” Dennis said as the young boy’s face flushed...but damn, this boy was one of the cutest that Yulia had seen yet! He was the average height for an Octarian male, shorter than both Dennis and Julien. His skin was more around Giana’s skin tone: relatively dark, but not as dark as Dennis’s or Marina’s. He had medium-length purple hair that reached his shoulders and had a slight wave to it. He had a childlike face, but signs of maturity still shone through. His eyes were large, innocent, and dark. He had a button nose and very soft lips. He was wearing a simple gray hoodie and a pair of jeans. Yulia wanted to kiss him on the spot. Though he was flushed, he didn’t look afraid.

“Yulia, this is my younger brother, Macario. Rio, this is Yulia. She’s come to save us,” Dennis said. Macario offered his hand, which Yulia shook, but then gave his brother a look of pure dread.

“Dennis...you’re absolutely bonkers! If Mama finds out about this, she’ll kill you!”

“Oh, please. She won’t kill me. Besides, she’s not here, is she?”

“No...but dad’s gonna be coming home soon! Wait...did you say that this Inkling is here to save us? Why would she do that? Inklings hate us, y’know,” Macario said, confused.

“The Inklings of old may have hated you, but the Inklings of now do not. Surely if they have accepted your sister into their society, they will accept you as well,” Yulia added.

“She’s right, Rio. Marina’s not dead,” Dennis added, another boy coming to Macario’s side at the mention of Marina.

This boy was around the same size as Macario, but looked a lot more...grown up? He looked a lot like his father. He had the same dark skin as Octavio, Dennis, and Marina. His hair, the same magenta as his father’s, was rather long on one side and completely shaved on the other. His eyes were the same green color as his father’s. He was wearing a simple red turtleneck and what seemed to be the same jeans as his brother. His face was less boyish and innocent than his brother’s, once again resembling Octavio.

“What do you mean Marina’s not dead?” this boy asked rather snappily, his arm around his brother protectively.

“Marina’s in the promised land, Finny. She took care of Yulia. She’s apparently famous up there, too,” Dennis smiled, Finny shaking his head.

“If she really was alive and in the promised land, she’d come back for us like she promised she would. Don’t you remember?” he asked, turning to face Yulia. “Listen, you Inkling...I don’t know who took care of you, but it’s not our sister. How dare you put those thoughts into Den’s head! Mama found her dead back whenever we were living in Octo Canyon. She got sick and died overnight. No one ever figured out how she got sick, but we had her funeral. We buried her. There’s no way she’s alive! If she did get to the promised land, she’d come back for us! We’d be with her! She promised us that if she ever got to the promised land, she’d come back. She wouldn’t break that promise!” Finny cried defensively.

Left with no other option, Yulia pulled out her phone. Somehow, probably due to little use, it still had some battery in it. She quickly got into her pictures and showed the boys a picture of herself trying not to laugh while Pearl kissed one cheek and Marina kissed the other. As Finny saw the picture, Yulia almost felt his heart sink.

“That...That  _ is _ Marina!” he said.

“You really thought that she’d come back for us, Finnegan? Apparently being Mama’s favorite was too hard for her. She had to run away like a coward,” the female voice from before said as the final Ida sibling stepped into view.

This Octoling girl was much shorter than her brothers, probably the shortest in the family. Her skin color was the same olive color as Macario’s, while her eyes were the same vibrant green as both Finnegan’s and her father’s. Her light blue hair was styled so that the two tentacles on the left went down to her mid-back and the two on the right barely reached her chin; her hair seemed to be a more feminine version of Finnegan’s hairstyle. She wore a black bobble cap, black hoop earrings, a gray parka that almost reminded Yulia of the Octarian Jacket that Forge made up in Inkopolis, and some thick, warm leggings.

“Giselle, you can’t say anything like that. We all know that you’re dad’s favorite,” Finnegan retaliated.

“At least I didn’t run away! At least I didn’t go off to some far-off land! I didn’t hurt Mama!”

“All of you, stop this!” Dennis cried. “We need to stick together. We’re family. We’re all we’ve got,” he said, making sure that Giselle and Finnegan didn’t get at each other’s throats. “We’ll see Marina again. This Inkling has come to help us!”

“I never want to see her again! Why do you guys want to?! She’s dead to us!” Giselle cried. Macario took his sister’s arm lovingly.

“It’s not about Marina,” Dennis said, “it’s about the promised land. We can’t keep living down here. I know Mama claims to hate Inklings and that she wants us to hate them as well, but listen to us. Yulia isn’t going to hurt us. I’ve known her for a while. Dad tried to kill her, but she didn’t give up. She’s going to talk some sense into him.”

He turned to his siblings, giving a small smile. “Yulia, this is my other brother, Finnegan. He’s Macario’s twin. This is my little sister, Giselle.” Yulia wanted to greet the Octolings, but due to the hostility, she decided not to.

“Now, I think that you three need to apologize to Yulia here,” Dennis said, crossing his arms. While the boys mumbled something, Giselle, who inherited her father’s stubbornness, marched off to her room, slamming the door.

“Girls...I’m glad Juno isn’t like that…” Finnegan mumbled to himself as he moved to the side, letting Dennis and Yulia in. Julien and Giana had heard the clamor, but had decided not to question it. Julien was getting a little restless, as he hoped that she wouldn’t stay for hours, as if he broke curfew, his mother would never let him out of her sight! 

“Rio, you sit here with Yulia. Finny, you watch out for dad. I’m going to talk to Giselle. Yuls...just lay low. You’re not looking too hot,” Dennis said as he marched off to Giselle’s room, going in and slamming the door. Whenever Yulia looked at the door, she saw that there was a wooden plate that the names of both of the Ida girls, but Marina’s was heavily scratched to the point where it was barely legible.

“Why is Giselle so cranky?” Yulia asked softly, expecting negativity or hostility from Macario. However, she was surprised when the boy simply hung his head.

“Whenever Mama found Marina dead, she went into some kind of shock that she never really recovered from, even after two years. She can’t go to Marina’s grave since it’s back in Octo Canyon, which flooded, but she goes to the summit, where she thinks she’s closest to Marina, and mourns every day. She doesn’t only mourn Marina, though. She also mourns our grandpa, whose grave was also lost whenever Octo Canyon flooded..she really loved grandpa, apparently. Anyway, when she does come home, she doesn’t really pay that much attention to the rest of us. Mama likes to go in the bathroom and just scream at herself in the mirror. Sellie is the one who tries to stop her, but whenever she tries, Mama just breaks down and cries. Sellie’s so angry because Marina destroyed Mama. W-We all really love Mama and can’t stand seeing her like this...dad doesn’t do anything to help her. He just ignores her most of the time…” Macario said sadly.

“O-Oh, dear…I’m sorry to hear that,” Yulia said. “As much as I’d like to say that I know how it feels, I don’t. I’ve never had my parents treat me poorly. My parents were good people, always treating me with respect.”

“Mama wasn’t always like this. When Marina was still alive, she was attentive, loving, and kind. W-Well, I don’t know why I talk about Marina as if she’s dead. Though...Marina  _ did _ tell us that if she was ever able to get to the promised land, she’d come back for us. Why...why would she break her promise?”

With this, Yulia embraced the boy, holding his head close to her heart, letting him listen to her heartbeat. This was something that always made her feel better, so she had decided to try it out with Macario. “It was very risky business for your sister to get to Inkopolis. When she came to the surface, she had nothing. She was very, very scared. She had to rely on several families, including my own parents and your grandparents.”

“My...grandparents?”

“Oh, I guess you’ve never met your grandparents on your mom’s side. Your grandma, Mareanie, is known to be a very kind and loving woman. I don’t know your grandpa, Albert, very well, but I do know that he loves his wife, daughters, and grandchildren. I bet that even though they don’t know you, they love you very much. In fact, Macario, your grandparents are proof that Inklings and Octolings can get along just fine.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, your grandma is an Inkling and your grandpa is an Octoling. Did you not know that?”

Macario seemed shocked. So did Finnegan, who left the window that he was stalking.

“W-Wait…Mama used to live on the promised land?” Finnegan asked.

“Yep,” Yulia replied.

“Why on earth would she leave to come here?!”

“I...I don’t know.”

“This means,” Macario said, “that Mama is half Inkling! Then...this means that we’re part Inkling!”

“That’s how it works,” Yulia said, still holding the boy, “but even if you weren’t part Inkling, you have just as much of a right to be in Inkopolis as I do.”

“Do you really think that you can help get us into the promised land?” Macario asked, his head buried in Yulia’s chest. 

“I believe that I can at least set the path for you. I cannot do it alone, though. I am not to be recognized as a hero. In fact, if I die during this journey, so be it. I want the Octarians to restore faith in yourself. I want to see Octarian pride. I want you to be able to free yourselves without an Inkling doing it for you. Think of me as nothing but a stepping stone,” Yulia said. At that moment, both of the twins joined her team. Apparently what she had told them was convincing enough.

“I’ll need to introduce you to my girlfriend, Juno, someday,” Finnegan said. “She’s the leader of the female section of dad’s junior defense force. She’d be a really powerful ally!”

“I’d love to meet her someday. I’d love to meet all of the girls, actually,” Yulia replied with a smile.

With that, Dennis came out of Giselle’s room, sighing. “No dice. She’s just in a really bad mood. I can understand her frustration, but that girl has a lot of growing up to do,” he said, sitting with his brothers and Yulia.

“Oh, c’mon, Den, she’s only 14,” Finnegan said.

“That’s not much of an excuse. You two are 15 and act way more mature than she ever will,” Dennis replied.

To try to lighten up the mood, Yulia excitedly told Dennis about how both of his brothers were now on her side. This did seem to brighten the boy up. “I see you guys finally learned the truth. I only figured out the truth about Mama after dad told me his plan to capture our aunt. I wish I could have told you guys earlier, but I was too afraid,” he said, getting a good look at Yulia, who Macario had separated from at this point. She...didn’t look very good. At all.

However, this moment of rejoicing was short lived. There was a loud knock on the door and the boys quickly tossed Yulia into Giselle’s room, the young Octoling girl quickly running out. She answered the door, and Yulia heard Octavio’s booming voice fill the room.

“Aight, kiddos, y’all better behave yourselves! Papa’s home!” Octavio said jokingly as Giselle clung onto him. “Welcome home, dad! I’m so happy to see you!” she giggled, obviously enjoying her role as Octavio’s favorite child. The two younger boys giggled, and even Dennis, who was still blithering mad at his father, couldn’t help but crack a small smile.

“All right, all right, that’s enough, Giselle. You’re gettin’ too big for this,” Octavio chuckled, his daughter getting off of him. From a crack in the door, Yulia saw that Octavio was smiling...but it wasn’t the grossly sadistic smile that she had known Octavio for. It was...genuine. It was a smile that her own father would give her. It...it hit her pretty hard! After all, ever since her encounters with him, Yulia had sort of seen Octavio as more of an unfeeling, psychopathic being than a regular Octoling. However...seeing him smile made her rethink that. It also gave her more confidence to talk to him.

“Come on, dad! I have dinner made! We have a surprise for you later!” Macario said, he and his twin leading their father to the dining room. They were definitely going to put him in a good mood before revealing that they were hiding an Inkling in their house.

Giselle quickly went back to her room, where Yulia was eyeing up the bunk bed. The bottom bunk, obviously Giselle’s, was well-used, with blankets everywhere, the sheet falling off, and a well-loved Octobomber plush looking like it was covered in drool. The top bunk, however, didn’t look like it had been used in years. It was neatly made, and the only things that sat on top of it were a pair of goggles and a book on Flooder manufacturing.

“Oh, that. That was supposed to be Marina’s bunk. The house doesn’t have enough room for all of us to sleep, so the boys sleep in one room while I sleep in this one. Marina left us before we moved to Octo Canyon, but Mama still insisted we make her a bunk just in case she would come back. I remember whenever Marina actually cared about us,” Giselle said bitterly.

“Giselle, I am very sure that Marina still cares about you and loves you. Like I told your brother, Marina was probably very, very scared whenever she came to the surface. She was overcome with fear. If she came back, your mother would realize that she didn’t actually die. She was afraid that your mother would be angry with her,” Yulia replied optimistically.

“Mama wouldn’t be mad! Mama would be overjoyed! Marina was supposed to come back and save the family! She would have taken us all to the promised land...but she betrayed us! She hurt Mama! Marina was Mama’s firstborn! Marina was the only child around when grandpa was alive, so she meant a lot to Mama, but she didn’t care! She let Mama mourn! It’s been two Goddamn years and she’s  _ still _ not over it!” Giselle cried. Not only was she stubborn like her father, she was also hot-headed like her eldest brother. “The rest of us want Mama back. Dad wants his wife back,” Giselle sniffed as Yulia embraced her.

“It’s all right, Giselle....it’s all right. If you cannot forgive your sister right now, I understand completely. I understand your anger. Though I wish you could let go of your bitterness and learn to love Marina again, I will not force you. You already have a lot on your plate, and I do not wish to add more,” Yulia said gently, still holding the girl.

“Yulia...you know what love is like, don’t you?” Giselle asked.

“Of course, Giselle. My parents loved each other more than they loved anything on this earth. As they raised me, they spoiled me. They raised me with intense love and deep appreciation. I could have never asked for better parents. However, I had started to develop a love beyond parental love. I had started to fall in love with countless people...to the point where I was losing focus and performing poorly at my job. My boss constantly reminded me that my pay was at stake, but I was so in love that I hardly cared. During one of my worst crushes, I remember writing a letter to my boss explaining my poor behavior at work. I still remember every word of it,” Yulia smiled.

“Really? C-Could you recite it to me?”

“Of course,” Yulia smiled, clearing her throat.

_ “My dear, kind, understanding Mr. Grizz, _

_ Sir, you may have realized that my activity at work has been less than satisfactory, and I apologize for that. My heart has fallen upon a young soul that I have been acquainted with for many years. This person is much older than me and our interests may not go together like ink and a turf war, but we are friends. Whenever I see this person, my whole body starts to shake. I know that love has no place in the workplace, but I truly cannot control myself when I think of them. If you would somehow help me overcome this, I would be happy forever. _

_ Yours truly, _

_ Yulia Tentatek, your most beloved Profreshional” _

“Wow, Yulia…I can’t believe that you memorized that, especially with that vocabulary. You must have really loved that person…” Giselle chuckled.

“I did...but there’s always more, honestly. I am always afraid that I will not be able to commit. I want to tell my true feelings to the people I fall in love with, but I do not want to disappoint them. I just don’t think that any of them would benefit from having me in their life,” Yulia explained.

“Really? I think you should give love a chance. You seem like someone who would be an excellent lover. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t hesitate asking you out,” Giselle giggled, Yulia blushing pretty hard.

As the two girls sat and talked, Yulia quickly opened up to the young Octarian even more than she already had. Maybe this is just what she needed! Maybe she just needed to sit down and have some  _ girl talk, _ much like she would have with Pearl, Marina, or Lynn. She didn’t feel as if she had to worry while she talked to Giselle…she had pretty much forgotten that she was currently in the same building as Octavio!

Talking with the rather tomboyish Giselle also made Yulia realize how feminine she was. If her fashion sense wasn’t a big hint at it, Yulia was much more feminine than the average female Inkling. Both her mother and father were very formal people, given their huge positions in the business world. Growing up, her mother had sewn her delicate yet intricate dresses. No doubt that Yulia was one of the best dressed children in the small western district that she resided in!

As Yulia grew up, however, her mother’s influence never went away. Whenever Yulia was allowed to pick her own clothing, she always preferred having her mother make them than choosing the brand-name, masculine clothing that her friends wore. She did have  _ some _ casual clothing, as evident by her attire before she went on her journey, but it wasn’t a lot compared to the clothing that her mother lovingly made.

Now, as Yulia had mentioned when talking about her troubled love life, she had a reputation for being a bit of a lolita, and her fashion sense just magnified that. Honestly, this worried her father quite a bit. Shaquarius Tentatek wanted to raise his daughter to be strong. He wanted to raise Yulia so that she wouldn’t be trampled in life. However, she became incredibly delicate, and as much as his wife told him not to fret, he always did. After all, Yulia was his pride and joy, not the company. Yulia couldn’t see it, but both of her parents absolutely adored her, much like they adored each other. She was more than a mere tool to keep the company family-owned. She was an expected, welcomed, and adored member of the family. Even if she was known as a lolita, her father still chose to love her and accept her. Though it had its ups and downs, it was her personality that truly shone.

Besides, Yulia’s taste in fashion was like playing with a Barbie doll for Pearl and Marina. The two often quite literally dragged Yulia to an expensive dress shop in Arowana Mall and had her try on darn near everything, from dresses that made her look like an exotic bird to hats that were so heavy that she felt as if her neck was going to snap. While there certainly were Inklings as feminine and as girly as Yulia, they were certainly the minority, so a lot of people liked to watch said population embrace their girliness...even if it was a tad embarrassing.

Yulia, snapping back into reality from the realm of her thoughts, noticed that Dennis had opened the door. “Well...we have him in a pretty good mood. I think we’re ready,” the boy said, obvious fear and nervousness in his voice.

“Dad...we have someone here who’s been itching to see you,” Dennis said, Octavio raising a brow.

“I swear, boy, if you even  _ thought _ about bringing that Inkling in here, Imma-”

Before Octavio could finish his sentence, Yulia walked out of Giselle’s room. Giselle, nervous, closed the door, but was watching this go down through the crack. Yulia’s hope dissolved as she saw the disgusted look on Octavio’s face. He turned away.

“Get that thing outta here. It’s not allowed in the house,” Octavio said cruelly.

“I’m an  _ it _ to you now, sir? Is this how much you’ve degraded me? Trying to kill me was not enough, sir? Please, charge me with something. What have I done wrong? If you tell me why I deserve this punishment, I’ll gladly submit to it!” Yulia replied boldly.

“Let’s see...you destroyed my base, ruined my plans, brainwashed my kids, and now you’re trying to suck all of this Goddamn canyon into your li’l trap! You’re tearing this society apart!”

“Sir, all I want to do is give the people hope! This is what it’s all about! I have no means of fighting, even if I wanted to! The only Octarian I have injured is the Octo Samurai, whom you sent to kill me! I was defending myself! I do not wish to tear the society apart, I want to work toward your freedom!” Yulia cried. She never expected herself, a shy Inkling girl, to be standing up to the Octarian leader.

“I’m already working toward our freedom! We’ll gain freedom when you’re stuck down here!”

“Sir... you cannot be like your father.”

“Come here, you miserable imp!” Octavio cried, grabbing Yulia by her arm, which made her wince, and dragging her into the room that he shared with his wife. The door slammed.

“What’s he going to do to her?” Finnegan asked, uncovering his eyes. As tough as he liked to think that he was, he was pretty soft-hearted, and whenever Yulia and Octavio started arguing, he couldn’t make himself look.

“He dragged her to his room of all places. Is he going to…?” Macario butted in.

“It’s been a pretty long time…” Giselle, who now exited the safety of her room, added.

“Guys, it’s dad we’re talking about...but then again, it’s  _ dad _ we’re talking about,” Dennis finished. Then, all four kids huddled around the door, trying to comprehend what was going on between their father and a sixteen-year-old girl.

“You need to get your ass outta this canyon. You’re out there brainwashing everybody with all this preachin’ about the promised land. Whadaya think  _ you’re _ gonna do about it? You’re just some nobody, ain’t cha? So low that ya gotta come down here for support ‘cause no one up there wants ya!” Octavio cried. His arm was outstretched, as if he was going to strike her.

“For the last time, no! I want to give the people hope! Especially since you don’t appear to be doing anything for them!” Yulia replied angrily.

As Octavio went to slap her, she dodged. His hand missed her face, but it did hit her on the neck, a scream escaping as the impact knocked the Inkling back. Luckily, her scarf covered a lot of her neck, but that didn’t mean that it was painless. It still hurt like hell.

“How dare you talk to me like that! You’re in my turf, which means you’re under my rules!”

“What I’m saying is true! You’re a lousy, no-good leader!”

Another slap. This one hit Yulia’s face, causing her nose to bleed.

“Do you really want strike three? Keep flapping those lips of yours and you’ll get it,” Octavio warned.

“I-I’m done, sir…”

“You’re lucky I don’t rip you apart with my bare hands,” Octavio said before he indifferently turned, striding out of the room.

After seeing his father walk out of the room with blood on his hand and seeing Yulia’s pitiful state, Dennis erupted once more. While he entrusted his siblings to tend to the injured Inkling, he stood up to Octavio.

“You’re absolutely disgusting! Trying to kill her wasn’t enough, so you resort to domestic violence?! You can’t take any criticism! You want all of the glory to be to you! Anyone gives us hope and you try to kill them!” Dennis cried, his face the brightest shade of red that it had ever been.

“You’re lucky I don’t go beat my own children, boy. You’d be layin’ next to her if I did,” Octavio replied.

“You don’t beat us because you know that Mama and grandma would have your head on a stakeif you did! Unlike you, they value us as people! You won’t beat your child, but you’ll beat somebody else’s! You’re one of the worst people that I’ve ever met! Grandpa is a saint compared to you! I’m ashamed to call you my father! I...I…”

“You what, boy?!”

“I HATE YOU!” Dennis shouted, going to rejoin his siblings.

“Please, just hang on, Yulia...we’ll get you home,” he mumbled to Yulia, whose tears started mixing with the blood on her face. Octavio’s grasp had obviously reopened her arm wounds, too. Shaquarius Tentatek wanted to raise his daughter to be strong. Yulia was strong enough to fight for her life against the Octo Samurai...but she wasn’t strong enough to take Octavio’s beating.

**********

Turns out, Dennis wasn’t the only one having issues with their father. Apparently, Mr. Grizz had heard about Lynn taking in Fantine from one source or another, and he was absolutely pissed. He demanded that she come to Grizzco, which was still under close watch by the authorities, and explain herself. Lynn had dropped the book off at home, briefly explained to Tavi, Fantine, and Marina what was going on, and gulped nervously as she went to confront her angry, bitter father.

“What the HELL were you thinking, Lynn?! I knew you were stupid, but I didn’t think that you were THIS stupid! That woman did absolutely nothing for you and you decided to let her live in your house?!” Mr. Grizz yelled as he took a swig of beer. Well, at least he was still sober…

“Papa, she raised me for four years! She took care of me in my...in my…when I was a baby! She was busy taking care of me while you ran away!” Lynn retaliated, trying to be as calm as possible with her father. As rude as he could be, she….she still loved him!

“Lynn, you idiot, she gave you up! She gave you up! She didn’t care about you!”

“Papa, this isn’t all her fault! You neglected me! You abused me! You relied completely on my tutor and the Houzuki family to tend to my basic needs! I understand that she did wrong by giving me up, but you’re not completely innocent either!”

“Of course, this is what you always do. You always turn it on me. It’s always my fault. Whenever that snarky little heartthrob that you claim to love came and did Salmon Runs, you said it was my fault! Now, you take in this disgusting woman and say that it was my fault! I gave you life, yet you have no respect for me!”

“PAPA, LISTEN! If you would sit down and listen for once, you’d understand why I’m  _ saying _ that it’s your fault!”

“Fine, hit me with your best excuse.”

“I understand that you are my father and without you, I would not be alive. But...how am I to respect you when you call me names and insult me! I’m stupid! I’m an idiot! I’m a bastard! I can’t do anything right! I’m useless! How am I supposed to respect someone who calls me those things? As much as you may not want to admit it, you are not my only parent! How can you tell me to respect one parent and hate the other?!

As for Emperor, I am not as stupid as you think, Papa. The moment I tell you that I love him, you try to turn him against me and break my heart! You used your smooth talking and ego stroking to lure him in! You know he’s a bit snarky, so he fell right into your trap! However, Papa, I have a skill that you do not possess: the power of forgiveness! Whenever someone does something that I do not agree with, I do not get angry with them. I choose to forgive them and continue being their friend rather than hating them for the rest of my life!” Lynn cried. Both Mr. Grizz and Lynn were keeping straight faces, though on the inside, the former was raging and the latter was hysterically crying.

“Lynn! Have I taught you nothing? Stupid, insolent, _ and  _ stubborn? Forgiveness has no place in the workplace. Love has no place in the workplace.”

“Papa! Yes it does! Your lack of forgiveness and love is why the police are watching you!”

“The police are watching me because of that bitch you have in your house! She felt the need to report me to the authorities because I refused to let her see you!”

“Papa, you have no right to do that! She’s an adult, not a child! I’ve recently received a book of Salmonid birth records...under my birth, my mother is the only listed parent! By Salmonid law, you’re not even my father! She should be the one not allowing  _ you _ to see me!”

“We’re not in those bloody Islands anymore, Lynn! Their law is nothing to the Inklings. According to Inkling law, I am the sole parent responsible for you. What a burden it is, raising such a stupid daughter.”

“I am not going to let you stand here and insult me anymore! Goodbye, Papa,” Lynn said, quickly fleeing Grizzco. She was going home to her mother, Marina, and Tavi, who appreciated her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, hello! Another chapter done! I go over Lynn's culture a lot, and whenever I said that her culture was based off of Polynesian/Hawaiian culture, I meant to say that PARTS of it were. Some parts of it, however, are fictional aspects that I made up. Just wanted to let you know!


	9. Chapter 9

“I’m going to KILL HIM!” Julien cried, his head buried in the sleeping Yulia’s chest as his mother worked on fixing up the arm that Octavio had injured. Whenever Julien saw what Octavio had did to Yulia, it left the poor boy in shambles. He continuously wept over Yulia, the Inkling that he once hated, as if she were dead! His mother sighed to herself as he cursed the very leader who had promised them freedom from this horrible wasteland. Mar didn’t say anything… Yes, she  _ did _ take an oath of loyalty to Octavio, and  _ yes, _ she knew that what she was doing could get her arrested, but honestly, she was beyond caring at this point. The way Octavio had beaten this Inkling was unforgivable.

“Julien, please keep your thoughts private. If Octavio hears you talking about him like that, he could hurt your father!” Mar said softly.

“Y-Yes, Mother...of course,” Julien replied.

Over the next few days, it was evident that Yulia wasn’t doing too hot. She was lethargic, slept a lot, and didn’t eat a whole lot. In the middle of the night, she would often wake up and cry, making Julien quickly wake himself up and hold her until she fell asleep once more. Mar practically spoiled her, using her most expensive treatments and whipping up several concoctions to rub her wounds. It seemed to help Yulia’s arms heal, but she was still very sick. The cold that she had caught from her first few days in Octo Canyon had gotten worse, evolving into a fever-like sickness. Yulia’s poor health took its toll on her companions, who knew that there was nothing they could do.

As for Dennis and Octavio, their relationship didn’t improve. Dennis spent less time at home and more time on his own. He often roamed the abandoned storage facility that he had found Yulia at. His father’s message, written in the ink, was still there.

_ ‘I hurt her, too. I pistol whipped her. Is this why she’s like this? Did I hit her too hard?’  _ Dennis asked himself as he roamed around the facility. However, it all went back to his hatred for his father. His heart hurt; he didn’t want to hate the man that was so good to both him and his siblings...but he hurt Yulia. It drove him mad. He just kept seeing Yulia laying there, bleeding, Octavio walking away with no remorse. This made him shout in fury, throwing a rock at one of the walls with all of his might. Whenever Dennis saw the damage, he saw that both the rock and the wall were cracked.

Dennis wasn’t the only one of Octavio’s children that was upset by his actions… In fact, all of them were pretty angry with him. The boys were mainly upset by his relentless violence, but Giselle, who had become very fond of Yulia because of their  _ girl talk, _ was angry because her father had hurt one of her only friends. All of them were frightened, the twins were upset, Giselle was enraged, and Dennis had erupted...but wasn’t cooling down.

Even Octavio seemed to be having second thoughts. He knew that Dennis was mad at him, but...Dennis went so far as to say that he  _ hated _ him? One part of him was glad that he had slapped some sense into Yulia...literally...but another part of him thought of what Dennis said. This girl was somebody’s daughter. Someone out there loved her like he loved his own children. A woman carried her in the womb, much like Shelby carried his children. Was he wrong in punishing her so quickly? Maybe he  _ was _ worse than his father....nah.

**********

The past few days had been a mixed bag for Lynn and Marina. The progress was going swimmingly! Lynn had three-fourths of the first wall down. Many, many youths in Inkopolis were joining Marina’s side. In fact, Marina’s grandpa Albert even asked if he could write a speech to recite to try and gain more traction toward the subject. Tavi thought the idea was great, and offered to help Albert, whom he was elated to be reunited with, write the speech, as the elderly Octoling was an  _ amazing _ writer.

So, all was well...until the last day. It was on this day that Fantine knew that she was going to die. Knowing that she had mere minutes left until she fell asleep for the last time, she wanted to make everything right with Lynn.

Marina and Tavi both knew that Fantine was going to die, but Lynn kept refusing to believe it. Whenever Fantine called Lynn into the room for the last time, they embraced, figuring that it would be the end.

“Yes, Mama?” Lynn asked. “Do you need anything? Are you dry?” Of course, by  _ dry, _ Lynn was asking if she needed her gills soaked.

“No, child, I’m fine. Do...do you have my coffin ready?”

“Y-Yes, Mama… I finished it yesterday. Why?”

“Leimomi...whenever I go to sleep, I won’t wake up. I feel my life escaping me as I speak. I’d like to make some things right with you before I die,” Fantine said, bringing Lynn close to her. Lynn immediately looked as if she was going to cry.

“M..Mama… You..” Lynn started, but then she remembered what Tavi said. She mustn’t try to force Fantine to hold on. “You can let go whenever you feel as if you cannot hold on any longer. I will not blame you,” Lynn said gently, a tear running down her face.

“Please, Mama… I want to show you this before you go to sleep,” Lynn said, pulling out the book. As quickly as possible, she flipped to the page that had her baby pictures on it. “Look, Mama...it’s us! I wish I would have shown this to you earlier…”

Fantine, though weak, flashed Lynn a smile that showed utter delight. She stared at the pictures, slowly running a bony finger down Lynn’s little face. “My...how much you’ve grown, child. I remember when these pictures were taken. We both looked so...healthy,” Fantine chuckled, holding Lynn close to her. “Though...give me a pen, child.”

Confused, Lynn did exactly that. As Fantine slowly wrote something, she talked to Lynn about some memories she had from her time raising the child.

“Whenever you lived with me, you liked to go to the beach and try to collect pearls. I thought it was very fitting, given your name. Our Islands were well known for pearls washing up on the beach. I remember how excited you would get whenever you would find one. You would run to me and scream as loud as you could, then I would add it to the collection. Oh, Leimomi...I still have every pearl that you ever collected,” Fantine smiled, handing the book back to Lynn, who was eager to see what she wrote.

The book seemed exactly the same...but now there was a name written under the “father” slot. “I do not remember what village that your father came from, I apologize. But...now you cannot say that you do not have a father. I want that man to remember what he did until the day he dies. If he denies you, show him this book. His name is written in my own handwriting,” Fantine explained.

“My cloak, I do not want to be buried in it. This place, it has its cold seasons. I know that you get sick around the end of the year. Whenever you wear it, I want you to think of me. Think of how much I loved you. I know that it is a plain piece of material...but I ask that you keep it as it is. It is hanging on the coat rack...it is yours now,” the dying woman said.

“Of course. T-Thank you, Mama…”

“My final thing…oh, Leimomi, there’s not much left of me...is this, which I had hinted to earlier…” Fantine said, pulling a long pearl string out of one of the pockets of her dress. “It is every pearl that you have ever collected as a child. I-I wanted it to be a necklace, but as it is so big, I think it would look good around your waist rather than your neck. Please, Leimomi...try it on for me…”

With that, Lynn slowly took the string, slipping it on. As if it were made exactly for her measurements, it fit snugly around her waist. It wasn’t a functioning belt, but looked like it would suit her more formal tops.

“Oh, Leimomi...you look absolutely beautiful...now, I am to die...come close.”

Lynn obeyed, resting her head on her mother’s shoulder. “Listen to me, child...you must not hate your father. He is rude to you now, but there was a time when he was kind, loving. I want him to live with his mistakes, but I also wish for him to reform and learn to love you. You must always continue to be gentle and kind to him, just as you have been. Remember, he is not the cause of my death. Cancer is,” Fantine said, gently running a hand down her daughter’s face. Lynn was in tears.

“Of course, Mama. I will love him as you still do.”

“Whenever your task is finished, you must go home. I beg of you. Go back to the Islands. Find a man to call your husband. Try your hardest to have a large, happy family. Do not stay here. It is pointless to stay in a place where you cannot conceive. I know that you are in love, but he cannot provide for you. He cannot give you children. Please, go home, Leimomi.”

“O-Of course, Mama…”

“Now...kiss me, child.”

Lynn planted a kiss on her forehead, her tears staining her mother’s sweaty skin.

“I love you, Leimomi….”

“I love you too, Mama…”

Lynn didn’t think that Fantine had heard the entire sentence, as in the middle of it, Fantine had closed her eyes. Lynn had tried to wake her, but she was unconscious. Tavi and Marina waited outside. They were able to hear Fantine’s loud breathing become slower and slower until eventually stopping. Lynn’s sudden cries signified that Fantine was dead.

Marina had no idea what to do, but Tavi was calm. “Please...the family that she is close to...the boy she loves...tell them the news. Have him hold her, comfort her, even if he does not want to. If she is still in grief by the time the Octarians are freed.. I want Lynn to move in with someone, whether it be them, yourself, or my darling Mahi and me. She cannot live by herself anymore… I will comfort her,” Tavi explained, Marina immediately going off to tell Pearl’s family the news.

Tavi, meanwhile, walked into the room, where Lynn knelt over her mother’s bed, honestly having the biggest cry that she had cried in her entire life. Her mother that she thought was dead for thirteen years...was  _ actually  _ dead! As soon as she saw Tavi walk in that room, she got up, burying her head into his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him, letting it all out. The gentle Octarian shushed her, stroking her hair.

“It’s all right...at least you know that she is no longer in pain. She is no longer sick. You made up with her and learned the truth,” Tavi smiled, trying to comfort this grieving daughter.

“T-This may be insen...ins...not right of me, but will you please help me get her into the coffin? I cannot stand to see her like this. She looks so sad..” Lynn sobbed. Tavi nodded, and the two worked on getting the dead woman to her final resting place.

Lynn preferred to bury her mother alone, so during the time that Lynn was having her mother’s “funeral”, Tavi had decided to give an impromptu speech that would surely rock both young and old citizens of Inkopolis. He was no longer afraid of being caught by the Inklings. He would not give up. He would not go back to Octo Canyon.

Tavi’s speech ended up being incredibly long, about forty-five minutes, but I will try my best to summarize it. He began his speech by letting everyone know who he was, the mistakes he had made, his decision to reform, his escape to the woods, and how he ended up meeting the other leaders of this project. He told the people that he was no longer ashamed to call himself an Octoling. He talked about how life was before the Great Turf War, urging veterans and those alive in prewar times to try and remember the times before the hatred and separation. He reminded the people that the Great Turf War was started because there were fears that there would not be enough land for both species to live peacefully. That was true for a while, but now, there was a ton of empty space in the city that could suit the Octarians just fine! Tavi went on to explain to people that Octarians and Inklings weren’t all that different. They had the same strengths, same weaknesses, similar desires...and heck, they could even breed and have children together! He used his daughter-in-law as an example of that. In the middle of the speech, Marina took control of the mic, passionately talking about how Yulia, originally tasked with getting Callie back, ended up falling in love with the Octarians and was still down there now, trying to fight for their freedom. Yulia didn’t see a species that lost a war. Yulia saw a species that deserved to be up on the surface. After Marina’s intermission, Tavi took the mic again, concluding with explaining how hard they were fighting to give the Octarians this freedom that they deserved, making sure to point out that Lynn, who was burying her own mother right now, had no desire to give up. In the end, he thanked everyone for their time, humbly stepping down from the podium.

Inkopolis was in absolute uproar. Some of the older people and government officials still weren’t too interested, but Tavi’s speech had honestly worked. So many people, young and old, were ready to give their support to the fight for freedom. Some of the young Inklings even wondered if they had Octarian blood in them from generations back! Whenever Tavi had finished his speech, he was greeted with applause, yelling, cheering...everything! It was honestly more than he, a simple elderly man, had ever expected to get. I guess his decades as the Octarian leader paid off. He still had his charm. Yes, it could be argued that the people are easily manipulated. Yeah, it could be because Marina, a huge celebrity, was endorsing the cause...but I like to think that these folks were being genuine.

Lynn had physically exhausted herself dragging Fantine’s coffin to the abandoned beach that she and Tavi had walked to, and almost hurt herself digging the grave. Whenever she had finally dug the pit, one part of her almost wanted to peek into the coffin to see if her mother truly was dead...but it wouldn’t have made a difference. Even if Fantine was alive, which she most certainly wasn’t, the coffin didn’t have any air holes, so she would have just died anyway.

Even after burying her mother, Lynn still sat by the grave, staring at the wooden plaque that she had engraved her mother’s full name on. She just knelt, her eyes closed, as if she was praying. She stayed in this position for a while, until she heard footsteps. Looking behind her, she saw that it was Pearl and Marina.

“Hey...you doing okay?” Marina asked, walking up to Lynn and patting her back. Lynn was still crying, but not as hard as she was whenever her mother had first died.

“I-I’m doing okay, I guess…”

“Didja hear the old dude’s speech? He’s got Inkopolis all fired up! We’re startin’ a revolution here!” Pearl, who had decided to join the crew, cried.

“By the way, I brought ya a little somethin’ somethin’ to try to cheer yourself up. I went into my bro’s room and grabbed one of his shir-” Pearl started, but before she could even finish, Lynn grabbed the shirt, taking in the scent as she made some of the ugliest crying noises known to man.

“Sweet, sweet intoxication” Pearl chuckled.

“C’mon, Pearlie...we have to get her home…” Marina said, grabbing the shovel that Lynn was carrying. Pearl nodded and Lynn continued to sniff the shirt.

“M-My mother wanted me to go back to the Islands...but I don’t know if I can. I haven’t been there in thirteen years. Like I was telling Tavi, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to find someone to love. I don’t want to have any children because of what my parents did...but how was I to argue with her? She was dying!” the Salmonid cried as the three began to walk.

“Lynn...like I mentioned, you have to listen to the voice inside. I’m sure that your mother would forgive you if you decided to stay here. You’ve established yourself here… I understand why you don’t want to go back,” Marina comforted.

“Yeah! How else am I supposed to laugh at you for marrying my brother?” Pearl teased, making Lynn smile a bit.

“I-I guess I’ll have to think about it…” Lynn mumbled.

**********

Dennis had decided to leave home for the time being. He took one of the fold-up cots from the storage rooms in Cephalon HQ and had decided to stay close to Yulia. By the time that he arrived, all of the companions, including Chyna, who wasn’t looking very well herself, and his siblings, were around the bed.

“We’ve got her fever down. Myrtle managed to get some food in her. We’re hoping she doesn’t throw it up. I still don’t want her going back outside for a few days. I’d say that she should stay in bed until her eating and sleeping habits get back to normal,” Marlene said, wiping sweat from her forehead. 

Dennis still seemed pretty upset, so Myrtle walked over, cupping his face and making him look at her, which wasn’t very hard, as she wasn’t much taller than him. “Dennis...this ain’t ya fault. How were ya supposed to know that he was gonna beat her?”

With this, Yulia weakly sat up, looking at Dennis. “I’m glad that you were able to come,” she smiled, signaling for Dennis to come closer.

“I can’t stay in that house any longer. No wonder Marina left…” Dennis said, holding one of Yulia’s hands. Julien tightly grasped the other.

“Dennis...do you recall your father sending Marina up to Inkopolis to steal some weapons from the Inklings?” Yulia asked.

“Y-Yeah...it was about two years before she ‘died’. But, that was back whenever we lived in Octo Valley. After that, they refused to send anyone else up. No one has been to the promised land ever since. Why do you ask, Yulia?”

“My...my story with your sister goes back to around that time, you know,” the Inkling girl smiled.

“Do...you mind telling it?”

Yulia nodded, and everyone sat back. Octavio’s children were especially interested in listening to the story. Marlene had to yank Julien away, as he was still clinging onto Yulia, and would have happily done so all day.

“Whenever Marina had went to the surface to gather weapons, I was around twelve years old. My parents were out at a business conference for the weekend, leaving me home alone for about three days. I had been home alone before, but not for that long. I was an anxious wreck.

Whenever I was sitting on my couch, calling my friend on the phone I heard someone pounding on the door. My mother had told me not to answer the door if someone knocked, but this person seemed desperate. I tried to ignore it, but they just wouldn’t stop.

Whenever I hung up, I went to answer the door and saw a strange girl in weird armor. I had no idea of who she was, as I hadn’t seen an Octoling at the time. All I knew was that she looked very scared.

‘Excuse me,’ I said, ‘are you all right? Can I help you with something?’

‘I-I was sent here by Lynn. She said that you could help me. I’m lost! I need a weapon! I’ll do anything!’ this girl, which I later found out was Marina, said. I didn’t know that she was tricking me until it was too late. At the time, I felt pity for her. My father had some weapons from whenever he was younger, so they were relatively old, but I figured that he wouldn’t be too upset if I gave her one. After all, my father loved to help people. 

Thus, Marina and I made a deal. If she would stay the night and keep me company, I would let her take one of the weapons with her. She introduced herself as an Octoling, seemed interested in getting to know me and was generally pretty nice. However, whenever night fell, she lulled me to sleep...and whenever I woke up, Marina was gone, along with  _ all _ of my father’s weapons. Well, turns out my parents came home from the conference that afternoon, and they came home to me curled up in a fetal position, crying hysterically. Naturally, whenever I tried to tell them that an Octoling took advantage of me and had stolen all of the weapons, they didn’t believe me. As far as they knew, you guys were stuck underground, so why would they? There was a case set up, but it came back cold. To this day, they still don’t know that Marina was the one that had stolen the weapon,” Yulia explained, seeming to get emotional.

“Yeah, that sounds like Marina: taking advantage of people’s weak points and leaving them to deal with the consequences,” Giselle said bitterly.

“I don’t think that this is the time for that, Sellie,” Macario said, his sister mumbling some kind of apology.

“I’m assuming that you two have grown closer since then. You speak very fondly of her,” Dennis smiled. He just wanted to keep Yulia going, as this was the most active that she had been in days.

“It took a while, but yes, we did grow very close. Two years later, I was fourteen, still trying to get used to my new form that I had taken. This time, my parents were home, and we heard a desperate knock on the door, similar to the one that I had heard years before. My mother had decided to open the door to see who it was, and as soon as I laid eyes on her, my entire body was filled with rage. It was her. The same Octoling that had stolen thousands of dollars in weapons was coming back for more. Whenever she had made her way to the promised land and was all alone, she came to  _ my parents _ for shelter...probably because she knew where the house was due to prior experience. As mentioned, my parents love to help people, so they naturally took this begging Octoling in and let her stay in a spare room. To this day, I still haven’t gotten as angry as I was whenever my parents decided to take Marina in. I wanted to tell them that she was the Octoling that had robbed us, but I knew they wouldn’t listen. She just looked so poor...so sickly.

At dinner that night, my parents introduced her to me. I was so angry that I couldn’t even look at her. Here she was, guilty of robbery, slipping herself into my life again! What was she going to steal next?

That night, I sat in my bedroom, which was also the basement, talking to my giant isopod, whenever she came in. ‘Goodnight, Yuls,’ she said, a huge smile on her face. It just seemed...mocking.

‘Only my friends call me that,’ I replied bitterly. She chuckled and gently ruffled my hair before going to her own room.

Marina stayed with my family for about five months. It took two of those months for me to warm up to her. For a lot of that time, I just straight up refused to talk to her. Looking back on it now, I realize how immature of me that was, but at the time, she had wronged me, and I, bitter and angry, constantly reminded myself to never forgive her. I stayed in my room or in the library a lot, constantly asking myself how my parents could love such a person...even though they had no idea what she did. However, Marina just wouldn’t leave me alone! Every night, she came in and told me good night. Every morning, she came in and told me good morning. She offered to help me with household chores, like dusting the library and cleaning the many fish tanks, as my parents and I are all huge fish lovers. Even whenever the band that she and my best friend, Pearl, made became popular, she still tried to talk to me. It was obvious that she wasn’t just trying to mess with me. She  _ wanted _ to be my friend.

Eventually, I snapped. I caved. I started talking to her. I...I learned that she wasn’t so bad after all. As we kept talking, I learned about how she justified stealing the weapons. I thought that the reason she gave was decent enough, but I was never able to fully understand her backstory until now. It’s been two years since she first left, and since that time, we’ve become very good friends,” Yulia finished, leaning back in the bed. It was obvious that she was pretty tired.

Dennis, who had seemed to zone out during the story, exited his daze whenever his sister gave him a firm shake. “I-I’m sorry, Yulia. I didn’t mean to daydream. I-I’m just setting up a plan in my head. I-I’ll see you later,” Dennis said, rushing out of the room rather quickly. With that, Marlene dismissed everyone, staying in the room.

“I wouldn’t worry about Dennis too much, girlie,” Marlene said, putting a cool cloth on Yulia’s head to keep the fever down. “You look pretty burned out. You should go back to sleep, even if it is just a brief nap. I’ll keep Julien out of the room so he doesn’t bug you,” Marlene said.

Once more, Yulia was alone in the room. As she dozed off to the bittersweet ambiance of the canyon, all she could think about was home. She hoped that everyone was doing all right. As her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep, all she could think about was Marina, who at the moment held a special place in her little heart.

**********

While Yulia was asleep, so was Lynn. Lynn, still devastated from her mother’s funeral, had spent nearly all of that night working on the wall to try and take her mind off of Fantine’s death. She was there so long that Pearl and Marina left Inkopolis News Station to go and bring her home, worried that she would keel over from exhaustion. As expected, as soon as she got home, she curled up with the shirt Pearl had given her, falling asleep in a fetal position, as her bed was now free. Tavi worked on getting her in a decently comfortable position. Pearl and Marina sat on the top bunk and saved the comfortable lounge chair for Tavi, discussing ideas on what direction their plan should take next.

“So, yesterday, my brothers and I were talking before you came in and told us about Lynn’s mom. Prince said that he overheard some people talking about holding a demonstration in hopes to get the officials to listen. Your gramps...he really has a way with words, dude. Anyway, whenever my baby bro said that, Emperor and I put our heads together and came out with an idea that’ll knock everyone’s socks off!” Pearl cried excitedly.

“Shhh, Lynn’s asleep! Though...go ahead, Pearlie. Tell me,” Marina smiled, lowering her voice.

“So, we came up with the idea of convincing my dad to let us rent out Camp Triggerfish the night of the rally. We could totally hold a concert to raise money to give to some families after the Octarians are freed. I was thinking that we could collaborate with other bands to try to raise support levels to the max! That would show those schmancy-pants government officials that we ain’t messin’ around!” Pearl said excitedly, throwing her arms in the air.

“Pearlie...that’s actually a really good idea! I’m sure that it would be really effective, too!” Marina cried excitedly, high-fiving the Inkling. “We’d have the Octarians free in no time! All we need to do is find out when the people are planning on holding this rally.”

“I hope so… I-I miss my Li’l Yuls...I hope she’s doing okay,” Pearl mumbled. After being her best friend for so long, Yulia’s absence was really rubbing off on the girl.

“Aww, it’s okay, Pearl. You’ll see her again! I bet she’s doing just fine!” Marina replied nervously. “It’s Lynn I’m worried about. Do you really think that she’ll go back to the Islands? I understand that it’s her home and all, but she’s made so many friends here! Do you think she’d just abandon us?”

“I’m sure she’s just trying to get used to the fact that her mom’s dead. You of all people should know that sometimes, we can’t do what people tell us to do, Rina. Lynn would never leave Emp. She can't leave Emp! If we do, all of our fanfiction would go to waste! Our OTP would be ruined!” Pearl replied.

“Yeah, but...Lynn doesn’t listen to herself. Even if she knows that she’ll be miserable, she’ll do it just because her mother said so. I don’t want Lynn forcing herself to live a life that she doesn’t want to live…” Marina replied.

“Just talk to her whenever she wakes up. I’ll try to get the truth into that head of hers, too. But we gotta let her sleep for now. I-If I gotta stay here for a few days, I will,” Pearl smiled. Marina had decided that it would be a good idea.

**********

Whenever Yulia woke up, Dennis was in the room, trembling. He...he just looked nervous. He looked like he was going to start crying at any minute. He looked like he wanted to tell Yulia something, but was horrified.

“Hello, Dennis...is everything okay? You look like you just saw a ghost,” Yulia said weakly, rubbing her eyes.

“Yulia...this might be the last you see of me. I’ve mustered up a plan to free the Octarians, and I’ve decided that I’m willing to sacrifice myself for your sake. I may not be around, but freedom will be worth it,” Dennis said quickly. Yulia didn’t fully comprehend what he said.

“You’re doing what, now?” the Inkling asked.

“I-If we’re really going to free the Octarians, we need to get my dad out of the way. He’s just hindering us. I-If I don’t get caught, I’ll become the leader of the Octarians...if I do, Finnegan will. With either of us as leader, we can get out of here! We can get to the promised land!”

“D-Dennis! You’re going to kill him? You surely can’t be  _ that _ mad at him! Oh, Dennis, please tell me that this is a fever dream!”

“Yulia, I don’t want to do this either, but I have no choice. Sure, I don’t like my dad right now, but I really don’t want to see him dead...but it’s for the good of the whole, you’ll see! If he won’t change, then I will.”

“Are you sure, Dennis? M-Murder is a crime, you know! I do not think that he deserves to die.”

“Seriously? After all he did to you?! He tried to kill you, he beat you, he insulted you! Do you want to be stuck down here forever?! It’s obvious that no one is going to get him to change!” Dennis shouted, looking the Inkling in the eyes. The look on his face was one of both sadness and pure rage. Yulia didn’t know what to do. She knew that Dennis wasn’t going to back out of this. She couldn’t convince him to try something else. She just clutched the boy’s hands, trying not to break down. As much as she  _ did _ want to get back at Octavio for everything that he had done to her, she had some kind of sick and twisted affection for him. Yulia was by no means a masochist, she just wanted to change Octavio. She wanted him to care for her. She certainly didn’t want to see his son kill him!

“I see that you have made up your mind, Dennis. I have no choice but to let you go along with your plan. Since there is no way to convince you otherwise, I am forced to not object. Let me know whenever you plan on acting this plan of yours out. Then, in case we do not see each other again, I will say goodbye,” Yulia sobbed, hanging her head so Dennis didn’t see her tears.

“He’s at his weakest after dinner. This is when all of his duties are done and he settles down for the night. I’ll strike then. This means that I still have a few hours to prepare. Yulia, don’t think of this as murder. The people who assassinated my grandpa didn’t think of it as murder. They saw it as necessary means for our freedom. Think of it like that,” Dennis said, placing a hand on Yulia’s shoulder.

“I wanted all Octarians to be free… I did not want life taken for the sake of freedom. A-As horrible as your father is to me, I do not want him to die, Dennis!” Yulia pleaded, but Dennis just patted her shoulder and left the room. Yulia, not being able to do much, just cried for anyone who was available.

Naturally, Julien and Giana were the first to come into the room. Julien had practically sprinted to her side, his cousin joining him on the opposite side.

“What does he keep doing to you?! Do I need to get Mother to keep him away from you?” Julien asked, taking Yulia’s hand. “Are you in pain? Do you need food? A drink? Medicine?” Giana asked.

“D-Dennis is trying to kill Octavio!” Yulia cried, lunging into Giana’s side, as she was closer than Julien. Both of the cousins definitely seemed surprised.

“Wait...he wants to kill his dad? Damn. I knew that those two didn’t really like each other, but I didn’t think that he would go that far. He’s pretty loyal to you. Did you try to stop him?” Julien said, embracing both ladies as a means of comfort.

“I tried to stop him, but he didn’t listen to me. He said something about his leadership being the hope that the Octarians need. I tried to reason with him, but he said that this was the only way to freedom,” Yulia said softly.

“I’d rather sneak to the promised land myself than have that dolt as a leader,” Julien mumbled to himself. He was already peeved at Dennis for seemingly trying to steal all of Yulia’s attention and affection, but now that he was scaring Yulia with thoughts of murder, his blood was boiling.

“If I let Dennis murder Octavio, I will never be able to forgive myself! I have the power to warn Octavio ahead of time. If I go before Dennis does, I can get to Octavio and tell him of what his son is planning on doing...if he even listens to me. If I try to warn him and he does not listen, I will not feel as guilty. If I do not warn him and Dennis kills him, I will live with the guilt as if I was the one who had pulled the trigger. Not only that, but I will forever see Dennis as a boy who murdered his own brother in cold blood,” Yulia said, wiping her eyes.

“C’mon, you’re Yulia! I’m sure you’ll be able to figure something out. After all, you were able to memorize an encyclopedia’s worth of information about those salmon things. I’m sure you can find a way to maneuver around this. Don’t lose hope, Yuls,” Julien comforted. Yulia nodded, enjoying the embrace that the three were sharing.

Throughout the day, Yulia was a nervous wreck. She had pretty much decided that the only way she could take the guilt off of her shoulders was to warn Octavio about it. After all, she had promised Marina that she wouldn’t hurt anyone. If Dennis had killed Octavio and Yulia knew about it in advance, in the Inkling’s eyes, that would be breaking her promise to Marina. Dennis wasn’t Octavio’s only relative! It was obvious that the other children still loved him very much...oh, just thinking about the subject made Yulia feel as if she was going to throw up, despite having no food in her stomach to let out.

Had she been wrong about Dennis? Whenever they had first met, he seemed like a genuine, kind friend...and deep down, she knew that he still was. However, he was emotionally unstable. Instead of his kindness and gentleness, he was letting his hot-headedness and short temper take over. All she wanted was her friend, her ally! She...she loved him!

Apparently, Julien had spread the word of Dennis’s plan to his mother, hoping that Marlene would be the strong woman that he knew her to be and put an end to Dennis and his ill intentions. However...to his dismay, even his mother seemed to fear the leader’s son.

“I’d try to reason with him, but I don’t think it’ll go anywhere. I don’t know what’s wrong with Dennis, to be honest. I’m a nurse, not a psychiatrist...though, it doesn’t take a degree in psychiatry to say that the boy’s anger is getting out of hand,” Marlene said sadly.

“Mother, I’m worried about Yulia! If she lets Dennis kill him, she’ll never forgive herself. She...she’d probably kill  _ herself! _ This girl is the hope that we’ve desired for so long. N-Not only that, she’s my friend! My best friend! Because of Yulia, I feel free for once. I’m not going to let our hope die out because some kid’s angry at his dad,” Julien said, burying his head in his mother’s shoulder. “Oh, Mother...if this is what being a man is like, then I want to be a boy again!”

**********

Lynn slept for a good few hours, but Pearl and Marina were easily able to tell whenever she was awake by her cries. Oh, not cries of sadness, though…

“AGH! My back is KILLING me!” Lynn cried as she got out of bed, walking out of the room. She...didn’t look very well rested. “I usually never get back pain!”

“Lynn, you just slept in a fetal position with one of Emperor’s sweaty shirts for multiple hours. I don’t know how you’re not just snapped in half by now,” Pearl teased as Lynn stretched, trying to crack her back.

“Eh, I’ve slept in worse positions. Papa had me sleep inside of a fish net when I was little because he kept losing me,” Lynn replied. Marina, trying to unhear what Lynn had just said, tried to take Lynn’s mind off of her mother with her own version of  _ girl talk. _

“You don’t have constant back pain, do you? Neck pain?” Marina asked, obviously going somewhere with this.

“N-No...why do you ask?” Lynn asked.

“I say this because you have a...very interesting figure, Lynn,” Marina explained. “U-Usually, someone with your...upper body...has more curves to supplement this upper body. Don’t get me wrong, you are curvier than the average lady around here, and I’m pretty sure that 80 percent of girls your age would kill a man for those gorgeous legs, but what I’m trying to say here is that while most of your body is regular-sized, your...uhh... _ bosom _ ...is…let’s say...king-sized,” Marina stuttered, Pearl facepalming. Lynn just looked really,  _ really _ confused.

“Sis...I lost you halfway through the first sentence. I don’t know about thirty percent of the words that you just used,” Lynn replied. Marina was going to say something, but Pearl cut her off.

“Marina’s trying to say that you have big boobs,” the small Inkling said bluntly. Thank God that Tavi was outside. He would have been pretty uncomfortable in a conversation like this. Lynn still looked confused.

“O-Okay…?”

“Like, seriously, what bra size do you wear?”

“I don’t know. Salmonlings don’t wear underwear,” Lynn said calmly, going to join the old man and fix herself some food.

Marina couldn’t comprehend what Lynn just said. No...no underwear?! How...how did Lynn manage to look so good?! Marina wiped sweat from her forehead.

“You okay, Rina?” Pearl asked.

“Lynn....LYNN DOESN’T WEAR UNDERWEAR, PEARLIE! Whenever she sits down, whenever she leans over…that’s raw salmon! RAW. SALMON!” Marina cried, peeking outside to watch Lynn, who seemed to be preparing some water to boil...something.

“You seem to be pretty upset about that,” Pearl chuckled as Marina watched the Salmonling.

Marina had ranted to her friend a little bit, until Lynn came out with the food she had prepared. It was a bowl of...tapioca pearls? Straight up tapioca pearls?! Marina had expected her to put them in some kind of drink, but...she just started eating them with a spoon.

“L-Lynn...watcha doing?” Marina asked, watching as Lynn took a spoonful of the tapioca pearls, shoving it in her mouth.

“It’s a delicacy,” Lynn said, obviously trying to make up some kind of excuse for eating the pearls.

“DELICACY?!....WHERE?!” Marina asked. “Are all Salmonlings like this? Do you all have your QUIRKS?”

Pearl chuckled, enjoying Marina’s pure confusion. “Ey, I don’t blame her...but I’m more of a boba person,” the Inkling said calmly.

For Marina’s sake, the three got into casual discussion, Lynn ending up eating the entire bowl of tapioca. Eventually, Tavi came back inside, turning the discussion into planning for this rally that Pearl’s brother had heard of. Everything was going smoothly until there was a knock at the door. Lynn had decided to answer.

To Lynn’s surprise, a Grizzco employee stood at the door. It was a relatively good looking young boy, still in his Grizzco uniform.

“Can I help you?” Lynn asked.

“Yeah...your dad wants to talk to you. This was Grizzco’s last day of operation. He’s starting to close it up,” the employee said.

**********

Finally, Yulia knew that she could not wait any longer. She figured that unless she went to Octavio right now, Dennis would beat her to him and kill him before she could give him a proper warning. She knew that he would be at his house, as she saw from a few days before. Octavio’s other children were at Marlene’s house at the request of their brother. Apparently Dennis hadn’t told them about their plans, as they were all clearly confused.

“Yulia, can you PLEASE tell us what’s going on? Dennis kicked us out of the house and then said that he had to go prepare for something. Dad’s at home all by himself!” Macario said. Yulia didn’t know if she wanted to tell the poor boy.

“D-Dennis is doing something that I cannot support. I must go to stop it before he gets himself in trouble. I do not want to worry you. Both Dennis and your father will be completely fine. Please, Macario, don’t worry. Just stay close and do what Marlene says, and surely you will be okay,” Yulia said.

With this, Yulia asked Finnegan to come into the room with her. He was easily the toughest of the three younger Ida siblings, much tougher than the sensitive Macario, so she was not afraid of telling  _ him _ the truth.

“Finnegan...please do not overreact, but do you know what your brother’s plan is?” Yulia asked.

“No...you do?” Finnegan replied.

“Well...he’s trying to kill your father.”

“WHAT?! I-I knew Dennis was pretty mad at him, but I didn’t think he’d go so far as to kill him…” Finnegan said, obviously upset.

“This is why I need your help, Finnegan! Before Dennis can get to your father, I need to go and warn him of the incoming danger! But...I do not know how to get to your house. Will you help me get there?” Yulia asked.

Finnegan was more than willing to help Yulia, wanting to save his dad’s life. He was inspired by Yulia. She obviously wasn’t feeling very well, but Octavio’s life was more important than her health, even if Octavio  _ did _ hurt her. It was his brother, whom he had looked up to, that was being the immature one.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into Dennis. I know that dad hurt you and all, but there has to be more than that. Dad and Dennis used to be really, really close. I’m not blaming you for ruining their relationship, but ever since you came down here, there’s been a gap between them,” Finnegan said as the two started their walk to Octavio’s house.

“I know that I am the reason that their relationship was ruined. I did not mean to ruin it...I could not predict that your father was going to hurt me. I could not predict that Dennis would get angry with him. I could not predict any of it. I-I apologize for creating this gap, Finnegan…” Yulia apologized, the Octoling shaking his head and putting his arm around her. “Don’t apologize, Yulia. You’re doing enough for us. I’m sure that dad and Dennis will get along just fine whenever we get to the promised land,” Finnegan smiled.

Eventually, the two arrived at Octavio’s house. Using a spare key that all of the children had a copy of, Finnegan unlocked the door. “Please...save my dad!” he cried, giving Yulia a quick hug. Gulping, the Inkling opened the door, quickly walking into the house. As to not make Dennis suspicious, Finnegan slammed the door, locking it.

Octavio was in the kitchen, his back turned to her. Upon hearing the arrival, he turned around, rolling his eyes and sighing as he saw the Inkling. “Seriously?! YOU again? Do dummies like you ever learn? You just keep crawlin’ back, don-”

“SIR, PLEASE LISTEN TO ME! Your life is in danger! You’re at risk of being assassinated!” Yulia cried, falling to her knees in front of the Octarian leader. He just laughed at her.

“Li’l Mama, do you think that I’m dumb or something? You hate me. If I  _ was _ in danger, why would YOU of all people come and warn me? I’d expect you to be the one to assassinate me! In fact, I think you  _ are _ behind this! Please, Li’l Mama, I could pound you to dust with one hand tied behind my back! I dare you to hit me, Li’l Mama. I doubt you could! Go on! Do it!” Octavio taunted.

“Sir, I’m not trying to assassinate you! I would never think of doing such a thing!”

“Why should I believe you?!”

“Sir, I’m trying to save your life! You have to trust me for once! I know you hate me, but I do not hate you! Hate is a very strong word!”

“You may not hate me yourself, but you made my son hate me!”

“SIR! YOUR SON IS THE ONE TRYING TO KILL YOU!”

Octavio paused, giving Yulia one of the scariest looks that the Inkling had ever seen. Yulia fell to the ground, sobbing hysterically.

“What the hell did you just say?”

“S-Sir, I was just trying to-”

“Say it again or Imma pound you! It’ll be one of the worst beatings you’ll ever get!”

“Okay, okay! Dennis is planning to assassinate you! Please, do not beat me! My body cannot handle it!” Yulia sobbed.

As Yulia had revealed Dennis’s plan, she felt as if she was in another universe. The silence was deep. She felt as if she was aimlessly floating in space, Octavio standing a billion miles away from her. Time slowed down, if it existed at all. Her head spun. Her breathing sped up. She was in panic mode.

Suddenly, this fantasy world was broken whenever Octavio grabbed her, yanking her off of the ground. Yulia shivered, figuring that she was going to get beaten. Instead, Octavio looked her in the eyes. His eyes were full of pain, and he...he was crying!

“P-Please, sir...you must do something about Dennis…” Yulia said, embracing the Octoling as she wiped her tears on him. She had expected him to punch her out, but instead...he hugged her back! Was this truly the start of reform?

“Mama, get in Giselle’s room. I’ll take care of Dennis,” Octavio said, going into his own room. Obediently, Yulia ran into the girl’s room, slamming the door. She heard Octavio mumble something, probably into a walkie-talkie or phone of some sort. Within five minutes, the Inkling had heard Dennis scolding his brother for “being nosy” and hanging around the house, even though he wasn’t supposed to be there. He then burst into the house, yelling for his father to come out. Looking through the crack in the door, Yulia could tell that he had his weapon.

Octavio shouted something about a “little whistleblower” revealing the plan to him, and that he wasn’t planning on coming out of his room any time soon. Dennis immediately knew that Yulia was behind this, and sighed, calling the Inkling soft-hearted and wondering how the hell she was still alive.

“Violence is not always the answer, Dennis! I thought that you of all people would know this!” Yulia cried, coming out of the room. Dennis looked shocked.

“What happened to you being my friend, Yulia?! I thought this was what you wanted!” Dennis cried.

“Dennis, this is what you want! I never wanted your father to die! I just wanted everyone, including him, to have hope!”

“Don’t you see what I’m trying to do, Yulia?! With him around, there  _ is _ no hope!”

Before Yulia could say anything else, Octavio’s commanders had burst into the house. Apparently,  _ they  _ were the ones that Octavio had called. Whenever they had Dennis unarmed, Octavio finally exited the room.

“Listen here, Mama. I let ya go this time, but I ain’t always gonna do that. Get outta here. Go home. Don’t come back. I’m an adult, you’re not. I can take this into my own hands. I don’t need some kid ruinin’ my plans,” Octavio scolded, wiping tears from his eyes. Nope, it wasn’t the start of reform. The embrace meant absolutely nothing to Octavio. “Briney, get her outta here.”

With that, Commander Briney picked Yulia up, much like he had whenever she had taken on the Octo Samurai. In fact, there was still quite a lot of blue on his uniform from her blood. He carried the sobbing Inkling out of the house, heading toward his own.

“C-Commander Briney...what did Octavio request you do to Dennis?” Yulia asked.

“Well,” the gentle commander said, “Dennis is under arrest.”


	10. Chapter 10

Lynn, upon hearing the shocking news that Grizzco was closing, rushed there immediately. Mr. Grizz had his pickup truck parked there, starting to pack everything up and load it into the truck.

“Papa! What’s going on?!” Lynn asked, rushing to her father. She wanted to hug him, but his hands were full.

“I told you, that stupid woman reported me! They were trying to take me to court, so I’m gettin’ out of here. I already found a new building in a city about three hours away from here. Grizzco’s moving. You wanted it outta Inkopolis, and that’s what you’re gettin’. I hope you’re happy,” Mr. Grizz said, throwing a box into his truck.

“Papa...this means...I’ll never see you again?”

“Finally, something that isn’t stupid comes out of your mouth!”

“You’re really going to leave me by myself?! Mama just died, and now YOU’RE leaving, too?!” Lynn cried, embracing her father. He seemed annoyed, but let her do so.

“That woman...she’s dead?” Mr. Grizz asked.

“She just died yesterday, Papa. I took responsibility and buried her,” Lynn replied. Mr. Grizz seemed…oddly pleased that Fantine was dead.

“Well, now she can’t follow me and get me closed down again,” Mr. Grizz said as Lynn let him go. He then went back into the building, grabbing some more boxes to load.

“What...what will become of the building?” Lynn asked.

“Well, whenever I came here, I certainly didn’t expect some wretch to get me closed down, so I bought it in full. As much as I don’t want to do this...the building’s yours. You may be an idiot, but you  _ are _ still my daughter. Do whatever you want with it, but I recommend you sell it and use the money to buy a ticket to the Islands. You’re too soft to be livin’ down here,” Mr. Grizz said, loading some of the last boxes into the truck.

“A-As you wish, Papa…” Lynn said, wiping tears from her eyes.

“That’s all I wanted to tell you. You can go home now.”

Lynn embraced her father once again, resting her head on his shoulder. “Papa...no matter how badly you may have treated me, I have always loved you. I always will love you, even if we never see each other again,” the Salmonling cried, her father hugging her back, obviously wanting to get her out of his hair.

“Yeah, yeah. I love you too, I guess,” Mr. Grizz said indifferently.

“G-Goodbye, Papa…” Lynn said, running back off to the house.

Whenever she got home, Lynn explained what was happening to her friends. It was obvious that she was pretty bummed, but didn’t have a complete breakdown, unlike when Fantine died.

“Well...looks like Yuls is out of a job,” Pearl said.

“I-I’m glad that Grizzco is closing and that my father cannot hurt the Salmonids in this area even more...but I am out of a father! I lost my father a day after losing my mother! What have I done to deserve this?! Now...now I know how Yulia feels. Now I know how you feel, Marina…” Lynn mumbled sadly, sitting down on the couch. No amount of tapioca pearls was going to cheer her up. “Both Mama and Papa told me to go back to the Islands… Maybe they’re right. Maybe the Islands  _ are _ where I should be. Maybe I  _ am _ too soft to be living here.”

“Lynn! Let’s not jump to conclusions, baby! Your parents think that you belong back on the Islands, but we, your friends, think that your home is right here, in Inkopolis. You’ve lived here much longer than you have on the Islands! You’re still a bit traditional, but there’s nothing wrong with living out your culture! It’s...it’s not like not wearing a bra is going to cause someone physical harm! It may make people wonder how the HECK you look so good without one, but it won’t kill ‘em!” Marina said, going over to a handmade shelf in Lynn’s cabana. It contained a lot of trophies, as well as some photographs.

“Lynn, you surely remember winning all of those diving contests, don’t you? You’ve won them since you were seven years old! You’ve always ROCKED Mahi Mahi Resort! You’re a professional, Lynn! If you go back to the Islands, you won’t be able to participate in the cliff diving contest in a few weeks! You’ve been practicing for that ever since you got the invitation letter!” the Octoling cried, handing Lynn one of the trophies. The Salmonling did admit that it felt nice in her hands.

“Yeah, Lynn...my whole family goes to watch you in those. Even my dad,” Pearl added. Pearl felt the need to add that her dad attended because of a bit of conflict that the two had whenever Lynn was very young, as explained earlier, Mr. Houzuki thought some pretty...not nice things about Lynn.

“Yeah, I do love diving… There’s really no place to do it down in the Islands. I like watching how excited you Inklings...and Octolings, I suppose...get whenever there’s a contest. Besides, it brings so many species together. The species that can swim participate in the contest and those that can’t gather around to watch,” Lynn smiled.

“I know that the other Octolings would enjoy it just as much as I do. You’d become a celebrity, Lynn! You could be an Olympic diver!” the Octoling cried in excitement, hugging her friend.

“You’d probably bring goldfish sales up by about 1,000 percent,” Pearl teased. One of Lynn’s more notable features was in the form of a birthmark on her stomach. It was shaped exactly like the silhouette of a goldfish, eye and everything. Whenever Lynn wore her bikini, people could easily see it. Most assumed that it was a tattoo at first and were amazed whenever she told them that it was a birthmark! While her friends and strangers knew her as the girl who carried a crusty old oar around, people who kept up with her diving saw the goldfish as her symbol. 

“See, Lynn? Sometimes, doing what your parents tell you do just isn’t a good thing. I mean, look at the life you’ve found here! If you go back to the Islands and throw it all away, I just don’t think you’ll be happy. To put it bluntly...your parents won’t know what you decide to do. Your dad’s going to an undisclosed location and your mom’s...well, you get the point. I just want you to understand that Inkopolis is your home and that leaving would be a pretty bad thing to do,” Marina smiled.

“Y’know, maybe you’re right, Sis. You two are some of the best friends I’ve ever had,” Lynn said, putting the trophy down and bringing both Pearl and Marina into a group hug.

**********

Commander Briney had finally taken Yulia home, setting her back in bed, much like he had whenever Yulia was critically wounded. Julien was elated to see his father, but knew that he couldn’t stay long. Commander Briney calmly explained the situation to everyone in the house. Giselle had almost immediately burst into tears, Finnegan, who had run back to Marlene’s house after Dennis had yelled at him, comforting her.

“He...he actually arrested Dennis?” Macario asked. “Yulia, you better stay off of dad’s radar for a bit. He needs a lot of time to cool down after this. I don’t want him doing anything drastic to any of us. No one ever said that gaining freedom would be a quick process,” Finnegan added, still holding Giselle.

“If you can’t get dad to trust you, I know an alternative!” Giselle cried, wiping her eyes. Whenever she cried, she didn’t cry for long. Her brothers looked at her curiously.

“Mama may be emotional, but she’s not dangerous! She has no way of hurting Yulia! I can take her to see her. We can tell her about Dennis...” Giselle said, the twins looking shocked.

“Sellie, Mama thinks that Yulia’s dead! She’d probably have a heart attack if she suddenly saw Yulia alive!” Finnegan replied.

“She thinks that Marina’s dead, too. She’ll just have to learn the hard way. Seriously, Finny...Mama is our only hope! She’s the only one willing to stand up to dad!” Giselle argued.

“I agree with Giselle,” Julien chimed in. “I don’t think that Yulia can take much more from your dad...just look at her,” he said, everyone shifting their eyes to the poor Inkling. Her injuries from taking on the Octo Samurai were nearly healed, her neck not as bruised and her arms starting to scar, but she just looked...exhausted. Not only that, but Octavio had broken her heart! She thought that things were finally working out between the two, but he just chucks her off to the side! Seriously, he was so hard-hearted!

“Well, we’ll leave it up to Yulia. What does she want to do?” Finnegan asked.

“I-I honestly do not want to do anything anymore...but if I must for the sake of the Octarians...I will,” Yulia said quietly.

“Thank you, Yulia...maybe you  _ are _ the hope that Octo Canyon needs. If you aren’t, you’re still a great friend nonetheless,” Giselle said, gently hugging Yulia.

“As exciting as this is, Yulia still needs to rest. She’s still sick,” Marlene said sternly, obviously not wanting anything else to happen to Yulia, whom she promptly sent back to bed.

Since we must not forget that this is  _ his _ room as well, Julien walked in, relaxing on the opposite side of the bed. To his utter surprise and delight, Yulia moved over, cuddling the Octoling boy.

“With Dennis imprisoned, we have lost the brawn of our group. Dennis was the most willing to fight out of all of us. It is his temper that got him taken away. What will we do without him, Julien?!” Yulia cried. Julien, who had been half asleep due to Yulia’s warmth, was startled, but slowly rested his head on her chest.

“Yulia, it’s all right… You didn’t want anyone to get hurt, anyway! With Dennis gone, he can’t control you anymore. You don’t have to be afraid of him anymore. You can do things at your own pace!” Julien smiling, snuggling into the Inkling as she gently stroked his hair.

“Maybe...maybe you’re right.”

“Just remember...you have a choice in this, too, Yulia. If you really don’t want to go and see Shelby, you don’t have to. No one’s making you.”

“Shelby is one of the only people that can change this. Even if she hurts me, I have to do this. This is just what I was worried about. I was worried that you would start to see me as a person…”

“Yulia, stop that! You ARE a person! You deserve to be treated like a person with how much you’ve been hurt in the past. Your parents were one of the biggest sources of positivity in your life, and you lost them. Your boss mistreats you, gets away with hardly paying you, and threatens you whenever you try to make things right! You remember the stories you told me, don’t you? Yulia, I know that you’re someone with emotions and feelings. You’ve showed me that already. Those emotions are why I knew that I couldn’t hate you. I’ll never let you go around and act like you’re nothing. You’re not just a pawn that we can play with and then throw away afterward. No matter what Octavio thinks of you, you’re valid. You’ll always be my friend, no matter what. Even if you have to go back to Inkopolis...or even if you die… I assure you that we’d all remember your effort. You’ve done more than Octavio ever has,” Julien smiled, nestling his head into Yulia’s shoulder.

“I want to go and see Shelby for you...for Giana, for Chyna, for your parents...for everyone! If she’ll be willing to listen, then maybe she’d be willing to talk some sense into her husband… I know that you don’t exactly like Dennis, but he can’t be left behind, either. I’d like to reunite him with his father. It always makes me upset that I’m the reason that their relationship deteriorated.”

“Well, if you do go and see her, I want you to be as fit as possible whenever you do. I want her to see a bright, energetic, living Inkling, not a tired squid,” Julien smiled.

Yulia nodded, smiling as well. Suddenly, Marlene had come into the room, a worried look on her face. “A-As adorable as your little cuddling session is, I really need you to come with me, Julien. It’s about Chyna… Girlie, Darlene and Giana are here if you need anything,” Marlene said. Julien quickly yet gently got off of Yulia, following his mother. Yulia was alone for a few minutes before Macario walked in.

“Hey, Yulia...how are you feeling?” he asked, his hands trembling as he held onto the door. “Can I come in?”

“Hello, Macario. I-I’m doing all right, still under the weather. Of course, come in. If you want to sit on the bed with me, I’m sure that Julien wouldn’t mind,” Yulia smiled, slowly moving over to give the boy space to sit.

Macario sat down beside her. Yulia could tell that something was on his mind, but she was honestly in a half-asleep, dazed state, so couldn’t really ask him. There was a long period of silence before Macario finally spoke what was on his mind, making Yulia quickly exit her daze.

“You know...I really miss Mama. I know you’ve heard people talk about her before, but she wasn’t always like this,” Macario mumbled, looking at Yulia. The Inkling didn’t say anything, but her facial expression urged the boy to go on.

“Being twins, Finny and I obviously had to compete for Mama’s affection...and having to further compete with Rina, Den, and Sellie didn’t help my cause that much. Finny naturally gravitated toward dad, probably because they share a lot of the same interests and strengths. I, though I hate to admit it, am an absolute mama’s boy. If Rina was Mama’s favorite daughter, then I was her favorite son. I was her sweet, precious little boy who rivaled against the firstborn. If she wasn’t doing anything with Rina, Mama would drop everything and take care of her little Rio. But...after Rina left us, Mama was just so...sad. She just wasn’t the same. It’s almost like she had forgotten how to love,” Macario went on, hiding his face from the Inkling so she wouldn’t see that he was crying.

“It’s all right to feel sad, Macario. I am not trying to gain your pity, but whenever my parents were lost away in the hurricane, I felt as if I would be better off dead. But even then, I feel as if having my parents dead would be better than having them alive, but destroyed. I want to change it for you...not you alone, but your siblings, as well. I hope that I can convince her to love again. I am sure that Marina wants to be with her family again, and I want to be the one to reunite you. I tell you, I do this for your sake, not for personal glorification. I feel as if all of the pain that is being inflicted on me is my punishment for being born into a life of wealth and prosperity, not batting an eyelash to those less fortunate than me. It’s my punishment for being an Inkling,” Yulia replied. This wasn’t  _ exactly _ what Macario expected.

“Oh, Yulia, you seriously didn’t just say that, did you? Dad always tells us that it’s not our fault that we were born as Octolings. Like so, it’s not your fault that you were born as an Inkling. Actually, I see no shame in it. Just like we’re taught to take pride in our Octoling heritage, I think that you should take pride in our Inkling heritage. You coming down here with the goal of saving us in mind should convince other Octolings that not all Inklings hate us. In fact, I bet that the Inklings of this generation would love us now that the old, crusty generation is dying off. It seems like you’re getting the most resistance from dad…” Macario smiled sadly.

“Like I said, I hope that changing your mother will change him as well,” Yulia replied.

“I hope so...usually when I cried like this, Mama was there for me. I remember being a little boy who was constantly plagued with horrible nightmares. I was terrified of the dark. I shared a room with Dennis and Finnegan, neither of whom necessarily wanted to comfort me. Because of that, I would always crawl out of bed, going to Mama and dad’s room. I would crawl into bed, snuggling up to Mama as close as I could. Mama would either wake up from my cuddles or my sniffling. ‘Sweet boy,’ she would tell me, ‘fear is not in your vocabulary! So long as Mama is here, you will never have to cry! After all, if I find a monster under your bed, you and I both know what’ll happen to it!’ I would giggle, reciting the line of ‘My big, strong mom would punch it in the gut!’ Then, she’d wipe away any tears and the two of us would cuddle, sleeping the night away. Dad always told Mama that I needed to stop sleeping with her or else I’d be  _ too girly. _ She never listened to him. My parents love each other...at least, I think they do...but Mama was never afraid to defy dad. After Rina left, however, it’s almost like they’re divorced. They never even talk to each other. Mama comes home, they crawl in bed, sleep together, and separate when morning comes. I don’t think they even talk to each other. Not only that, Mama and dad...we’ll just say that when we were kids, they had a lot of fun at night. Ever since Rina died, they just stopped loving each other...in all ways…” Macario explained, wiping away tears.

“You know, I think that Marina has a lot of your mother’s traits?”

“Really? Why do you say that, Yulia?”

“Whenever I first started living by myself, I had some kind of dream. I have since forgotten it almost entirely, but I know that it was about my parents and the future of their company. I woke up, screaming my head off, nearly inconsolable. Since I lived in a camp, the walls of my cabin were rather thin, and it woke quite a few of the campers up. They called the camp’s owners, the parents of my best friend, Pearl, and they had decided to call Marina. Even though it was the middle of the night, she rushed down to the camp and took me in her arms. As I sat there, she mumbled comforting words, but I was honestly so dazed that I could hardly comprehend what she was saying. Not wanting the moment to end, I tried to stay awake for as long as I could...which honestly wasn’t very long. However, whenever I woke up the next morning, she was still there, still holding me. She could have left overnight, but instead she decided to cram herself into that single bed for my sake,” Yulia smiled gently.

“Yeah, that sounds like Rina,” Macario chuckled, a big smile on his face.

“I just want you to know that Marina really, really loves you. Just because Marina isn’t with you doesn’t mean that she has stopped loving you. No matter what Giselle may think, Marina’s intention was not tearing your family apart. There was no way that she could have known how badly your mother would react. But...because of Marina, the Inkling opinion of Octolings is very high! Marina is famous! She may have a lot of money and a lot of fans, but I know that she loves you guys. She would not reject her family. She would not turn away the parents that gave her life and the siblings that she shares these parents with,” Yulia said confidently.

“Well, I should get going before I get yelled at for bothering you. My siblings and I are staying at my grandmother’s house at Marlene’s request. I don’t want Grandma Mahi worried about me. I think Sellie plans on picking you up tomorrow morning,” Macario smiled. 

“Of course. However, I have one last thing I need to tell you, Macario.”

“Of course, Yulia. You can tell me anything.”

“No matter what your father does to me...even if he kills me...I will always expect you to treat him with kindness and respect. Even if it is hard, do it for me,” the Inkling said, giving a bright, genuine smile that melted the Octoling’s heart. 

“Of course. I’ll try my best. Thank you, Yulia. Rest up,” Macario said, leaning down and planting a gentle, affectionate kiss on the Inkling’s forehead. Yulia, proud of her work, leaned back into the bed, falling asleep soon after. 

**********

“Aight, Rina, I’ve just gotten word that the rally’s tomorrow! All I need to do is go home and butter my dad up, and then Camp Triggerfish is all ours for the night! I’ve texted a bunch of our friends. We’ve got about five bands that have agreed to collaborate with us. I’m stayin’ here for the night, so I claim top bunk. I’ve got a daddy to beg,” Pearl said. Marina and Lynn nodded before the Inkling rushed out the door.

“What is this concert that you’re talking about? I was probably too busy crying or sleeping to hear about it,” Lynn said, looking at a letter that she had gotten in the mail. It was from the Islands...

“We’re going to raise some money for the Octarians in the form of donations. Pearlie and I are collaborating with a lot of other bands to hold a massive concert for our supporters! The concert is free, but we’re asking that people donate so we have money to give some poorer Octarian families whenever the government eventually gives us their consent to free them. The concert is being held the same day that some people planned on holding a huge rally. What my grandpa said during his speech must have really touched their hearts. It’s...amazing!” Marina cried excitedly, taking a huge bite of the sweet-and-sour swordfish that Lynn had prepared for her. The swordfish was Lynn's favorite animal, so there wasn't any actual swordfish in it. It was just regular fish, but Lynn thought that "sweet-and-sour swordfish" sounded cool.

“Don’t you guys think that you’re planning a little too far ahead? I mean, what if the government never gives us permission to go and free the Octarians? You guys will just be putting yourselves in a lot of pain and working really hard… What if it’s for nothing?” Lynn asked nervously, nearly crumpling the letter as she read it.

“Lynn! Why would you even  _ think _ of something like that?! We’ve gotten so far! We have so many supporters! I assure you, we won’t rest until the government allows us to bring the Octarians into Inkopolis. This is my life’s calling, and I’m not going to let the government deny me. If they want me to stop, they’re going to have to kick me out,” Marina said confidently.

“Sis, we have to get Yulia out of there, even if we don’t free the Octarians,” Lynn said, a serious tone in her voice.

“Why do you say that? I’m sure Yulia’s doing all right,” Marina said. “What does that letter say?”

“Sis, this letter is talking about the hurricane that Mr. and Mrs. Tentatek got stuck in. Th-They’re not dead! They’re on the Western Islands!” Lynn cried, quickly translating the letter, written in the Island language, to Marina. "Apparently, whenever their ship got hit, the western Islanders went to help as many people as possible…but the Salmonlings just watched. They were able to rescue a lot of people on board...and Yulia’s parents were two of them. The whole time that Yulia thought they were dead...they were living on the western Islands, the home of tropical Inklings, as you probably know. These western Islands are so close to the Salmonid Islands that the two species could literally stand at the beach and wave to each other! Anyway, the person who wrote this letter is saying that they need a response by midnight. That’s expected with the Islands. We don’t have a mail service, so there’s just some guy waiting at the beach for me to give my letter of response. Sis, what should I write?” Lynn asked. She remained calm, but her heart was pounding.

“Lynn, calm down. How do you know the letter is genuine?”

“It has the official seal on the bottom corner. Besides, a Salmonling delivered it to me himself. Everything that he has delivered since my childhood has been sent from the  _ ali’i.  _ This is his handwriting. I recognize it.”

“Okay, okay, Lynn. Just write back and say that she’s currently involved in something. Tell him to keep in touch. We’ll tell him the appropriate time to send them back. I’m sure the Islander Inklings won’t mind keeping them at the Islands for a while. They’re very respectable people,” Marina smiled. Lynn nodded, going to get some paper and a pen.

As Lynn was writing her response, Pearl barged into the house, making her grand entrance. “WHADDUP?! GUESS WHO GOT DADDY’S PERMISSION?!” she shouted.

“Pearlie, that’s great!” Marina cried excitedly, watching Lynn write. Writing in the Inkling language, it took Lynn about fifteen minutes to write one paragraph. However, writing in her native language, she had half a page down in five minutes flat.

“I’m going to go deliver this!” Lynn cried, running straight past Pearl, who just looked confused. “What’s she upset about now?”

“Heh...about that...Yulia’s parents are alive.”

“C’mon, Rina...what’s the REAL reason? There’s no way they could have survived that hurricane.”

“I’m serious. The Salmonlings sent Lynn a letter. They’re not the only ones, either. Apparently some Islander Inklings were able to rescue other people. Lynn seemed upset about it, but I think it’s just a good way to accelerate our plan!” Marina replied.   
“Exactly, Rina! No more messing around! We’re gonna go at this full-force! We’re gonna show them that we mean business!” Pearl shouted, the two doing some kind of stupid high-five. Gosh, they worked in sync! No wonder the two made such good bandmates.

“So, where’s your gramps at, anyway? I haven’t seen him since the Grizzco incident,” Pearl eventually said whenever the two cephalopods calmed down a bit.

“I don’t know, actually. He’s probably out talking to people. I can’t believe how gregarious that man is… I really respect him,” Marina replied, smiling. “I can’t believe that he’d been living in the woods for so long. Not to mention that I could have found him earlier, had I not been so afraid of him! I scolded Lynn for seeking him out, not realizing that he would be one of the key players in gaining freedom for the Octarians.”

“Well, it would have been hard without him. Not impossible, but hard. I can still hear that speech in my head, yo. I can still see how hard it ruffled the feathers of some of the people in the audience. It was almost as big a shock as whenever you revealed that you were an Octoling to the people. I still don’t know how dumb they had to be not to realize it, though,” Pearl chuckled.

“I’m really glad that you finally decided to join our team, Pearl. As much as I enjoyed it just being myself and Lynn, we’re a trio, not a duo, even when it comes to saving the Octarians. Besides, I don’t think I’d be able to handle Lynn’s emotional instability by myself…” Marina chuckled nervously.

“I’ve known her since she was a li’l thing. I pretty much know how to get her outta any mood...bring up my brother. When I was at home pestering my dad, I pestered him into taking Lynn out tonight. He… Emp's really starting to take interest in her,” Pearl said, shutting up as Lynn came back.

“So...when should we expect a reply?” Marina asked the Salmonling.

“He said that he is going home for the rest of the night, but if the  _ ali’i _ replies immediately, then we should see him again tomorrow afternoon.

“What did you even write?”

“I told him about our plan and where Yulia is, explaining to him  _ why _ they need to keep Mr. and Mrs. Tentatek at the Islands. It’s not like they’re in danger or anything. The westerners take very good care of guests, especially those in their condition,” Lynn explained.

“By the way, Rina,” Pearl sputtered out, nearly cutting Lynn off, “some of the other bands wanted to meet and discuss the concert later tonight. I told them that they could meet here.”

“A-At my little cabana? P-Pearl…” Lynn, who was pretty nervous about having celebrities over, stuttered, not knowing how she felt about having a bunch of famous people that  _ she didn’t know _ at her house.

“You have an amazing yard. Don’t worry, we’ll be outside. We won’t wreck the place. Besides, Lynn, I already got you covered. Emperor’s coming to pick you up at eight.”

“YOU WHAT?!”

“Ooh...guess I forgot to tell you. He’s taking you out to dinner and then taking you on the yacht. You’ll probably end up spending the night, so I recommend you pack a bag,” Pearl said calmly, Lynn rushing behind a screen, quickly starting to pack her bag, which was obviously handmade.

“Pearl Houzuki, how could you?! I can’t believe you!” Lynn cried, tossing her clothes off and changing into some more formal attire, throwing her casual outfit into her bag. “How am I supposed to finish demolishing the wall if I’m sleeping next to your brother?!”

“Hey, you don’t have to sleep next to him! There’s couches! You could even sleep in the jacuzzi if you want! I just figured that you’d want to get some sweet, sweet-” Pearl started, Marina covering her mouth.

“It’s fine, Lynn! Just finish it during the concert tomorrow! Pretty much everyone in Inkopolis will be at Camp Triggerfish tomorrow,” Marina said.

With that, there was a knock at the door, and Lynn pretty much screeched, running out the door as fast as she could, clothes hanging out of her bag.

“I can’t believe you, Pearl,” Marina chuckled.

“Ay, I was just helping a girl out. Lynn left the house a virgin, but might not stay one,” Pearl replied with a devious chuckle as the two girls waited for their company to arrive.

**********

Whenever Yulia woke up, she soon realized that it was the next morning. There was a hearty breakfast sandwich in front of her, courtesy of Myrtle. She had noticed that she was losing a lot of weight. Julien was doing dishes while Darlene and Giana were washing some clothes. Marlene was nowhere in sight.

“Morning, Yulia,” Darlene smiled, washing a shirt that obviously belonged to Julien. “Myrtle insists that you eat that sandwich that you left in your room. She thinks that your sickness is related to you not eating. She threatened to move in if you keep losing weight like this. We don’t really want that, do we?” As much as the family loved Myrtle, they probably couldn’t handle her moving in. She would take over in a matter of minutes. Besides, where would Myrtle sleep? Yulia already had to sleep with Julien! Though, she wasn’t complaining. She loved it.

“Where’s Marlene?” Yulia asked, chowing down on the sandwich that was the size of her head.

“Chyna’s...not doing too well. Mother left for a few days to take care of her. That cold that Chyna had caught is worsening. She’s having a lot of trouble fighting it off,” Julien explained.

“Oh, that’s horrible!” Yulia cried.

“So...you’re going to see Shelby today?” Giana asked, breaking a long silence.

“Yes, I am… Darlene, do you or your husband happen to know her?” Yulia asked nervously. “Will she treat me  _ that _ badly?”

“I honestly can’t say. My husband knew her very well whenever Octavio was intimate with his commanders. Of course, that was when little Marina was still around. She used to be a kind, loving woman, especially to her children. Those five little babies were her world. Of course, she cared for Octavio as well, but she was especially caring toward the children. I remember my husband telling me a story about how he, Lincoln, and another commander moved a blanket and found the six of them cuddling, fast asleep. But after Marina died, it was almost like Shelby’s love died with her. Now, every day, she gets up early, goes to the summit, and mourns for her lost child. She’s done so for about two years now. I really want to see her smile again. She has four other babies that absolutely adore her. She has a husband that loves her. She wasn’t just a mother, you know. She was a wife. She was the one that stopped Octavio from becoming bitter after…” Darlene trailed off. 

“After what?” Yulia asked.

“We’re not supposed to talk about that down here. If he catches me, he’ll arrest me...or hurt my husband,” Darlene mumbled before promptly leaving to hang the clothes out to dry.

“Is she okay?” Yulia asked Giana. “I’ve never seen her that nervous. Octavio doesn’t allow you to talk about certain things?”

“Well, you already know about most of it. Mother already told you about Octavio’s father being assassinated, but she doesn’t talk about the guy who reigned  _ after _ him. I wasn’t alive for this, obviously, but after Octavio, Shelby, the baby, and Octavio’s mother were cast off, some crazy guy took over. Apparently he was psychotic and had horrible mood swings. He turned out to be about ten times worse than Octavio’s father. So, just like Octavio’s father, they had him killed, too. He didn’t last long at all. Absolutely out of candidates to rule, they decided to bring Octavio and Shelby back to power. Mother is afraid to talk about it, but I’m not. It’s not like Octavio will ever know,” Giana explained.

Yulia nodded, not really knowing what to say. “Well, I hope that I can see Shelby soon. I want to help her! Shelby is the force that can set you all free!” the Inkling cried excitedly, deciding to switch the subject to a general discussion with the cousins.

After a while of chatting, Yulia heard a knock at the door, probably from Giselle. To her delight, the Octoling girl was standing there, ready to go.

“Be careful, Yulia. I don’t want anything happening to you,” Julien said, hugging Yulia tightly and looking at Giselle. “I want you to be careful, too. You’re just as important as Yulia is in this plot.”

As the two girls walked out, Giselle seemed very rosy. “He actually warned me...he saw me as important! No one has really seen me as important since Marina betrayed us…I’ve really only been talking to Finny and Rio… I just…” Giselle muttered. With that, the rosiness left her cheek and turned to the sad, gloomy look that she always seemed to have.

“Marina used to love me, you know. I used to be her little baby. She used to dress me up and style my hair...y’know, sisterly things. Being surrounded by three boys really helped our bond,” Giselle said, pulling out her wallet and opening it. There wasn’t a lot of money in it, only enough to buy a small soda or a chocolate bar, but the real feature was the picture inside. It showed Giselle and Marina as very young girls, Marina smiling triumphantly as she had styled Giselle’s hair into tacky pigtails. Giselle, being a toddler in this picture, just obliviously smiled, not knowing that her hair looked absolutely awful.

“You’re not the only one that she does that to… She  _ still _ does that with me. She likes to take me to expensive dress shops and make me try on everything. I guess you could say that she treats me like a little sister...even a daughter, if I’d want to go that far,” Yulia gushed. “Marina still loves you very much, I just know it. Once again, just because she left doesn’t mean that she hates you. It was an impulse for her to leave… She didn’t know that doing this would tear your family apart.”

“She didn’t know?! She faked her own death!” Giselle cried.

“Giselle, please calm down. I am sure that she expected mourning and grief, yes, but there is no way that Marina would have predicted that your mother would break down like that. I understand your anger, but it’s not Marina’s fault. If you are going to be angry at someone, take it out on me. Pretend that I am Marina,” Yulia said, looking at the young Octoling sadly.

“Yulia, no! You’re innocent! I won’t talk about Marina anymore. It’s not about her. It’s about Mama. You need to release her from this isolation that she’s trapped herself in. It’ll be okay, I promise,” Giselle said as they approached the summit. It was quite a long walk, but this newfound hope gave Yulia enough hope to scale it. The summit was outside of the stuffy domes, and Yulia could even see Inkopolis far off in the distance. Still, it was too far to walk. The only real way to get there was to take the subway.

As they kept walking, Yulia felt a wave of dread wash over her. As they got closer to the top, a thin fog materialized, continuing to get thicker as they climbed. The way the trees looked in the fog reminded Yulia of old human graveyards. Out of nervousness, she grabbed Giselle’s hand. It was the afternoon! Why was the sky so dark?!

“Can you believe that my mom walks this every day? You should see her figure. You’d think she’d be pretty chubby after having five children, but all of this walking has really changed her,” Giselle said with a small laugh, obviously trying to calm Yulia down and help with her nerves. It sort of worked, as Yulia let out a small chuckle.

Finally, the girls had reached the top. “Well, Mama’s right up there… I can’t believe that she just kneels here all day… Please, Yulia, you need to save her!” Giselle cried, letting Yulia step ahead and see Shelby for the first time.

Saying that Shelby Ida was pretty was a massive understatement. She was absolutely gorgeous! She wasn’t very tall compared to Octavio or even her own children, but it was understandable, considering her Inkling heritage. Her hair was waist-length, and much like that of her two older children, it was jet-black, minus the ends, which were, unlike the older two’s, baby blue, like Giselle’s. Her skin was very pale, her eyes almost the same color as Octavio’s. Her face resembled Marina’s a lot; they had the same eyebrow shape, the same eye shape, and the same nose. Her facial expression was a frown that had obviously not changed for a long, long time. She was a very curvy woman; a bit plump, but not overweight. Her fingertips faded to blue, just like Marina’s faded to green. She wore a simple outfit of a blue sweater, some loose-fitting jeans, and some sneakers. She wore a wedding ring on her finger, which was something that Octavio lacked. This woman seemed so angelic, but so broken.

“Hello, Mama…” Giselle said gently, walking up to her mother. Shelby snapped out of whatever grief-induced daze that she was in, looking at her daughter. It wasn’t exactly a look of motherly love, but it wasn’t a look of anger or hatred, either. It was just..sad.

“Giselle… You’ve come to pay respects to your sister? You’ve come at a good time. I can feel her spirit…” Shelby sobbed. This poor woman! She really believed that Marina’s spirit was here? Shelby had been living a lie for two years! 

Yulia stepped out, wanting to comfort this poor, lost woman. The fog triggered her glow-spots to light up, giving her a ghostly, ethereal glow. Shelby looked into the Inkling’s eyes. She didn’t seem angry that Dennis hadn’t killed her… Instead, she let out a shriek! She was terrified!

“Giselle, we have to get out of here! You’ve channeled the spirit of that Inkling! It’s a demon! We have to go before it strikes!” Shelby cried. 

“No, no! I am not a spirit! I am not a demon! I never died, Mrs. Shelby! Dennis spared me,” Yulia said firmly, though her inner fear was circulating rapidly. Shelby fell back on her knees, shaking her head, her hand on her heart.

“I am used to betrayal. I had to watch your grandfather die. I had to watch Marina die. Giselle, your father has betrayed me… I was so young! He used me!” Shelby bawled.

“Please, Mama! Don’t think of it! Yulia here taught me that you used to live in the promised land! Why...why did you leave to come here of all places?”

“I was hated as a child, Giselle. Your great-grandpa...Craig Cuttlefish...he absolutely despised me because I was born an Octoling. He never bought me presents, always forgot my birthday, and refused to be in a picture if I was in it. Whenever your Aunt Callie...sweet little Cal-Cal...was born, however, that man took a complete 180. He adored Callie. He spoiled her, lavished her, gave her everything she wanted. While he despised me, he adored Callie. On the dawn of my fourteenth birthday, I got sick of it. Whenever the family was sleeping, I ran away.

Whenever I got to Octo Valley, I was absolutely lost. I had no idea where to go. Horrified, I begged the first person I saw to take me to the leader. Obviously terrified, they did just that. Whenever I met your grandpa, I explained who I was, and he welcomed me with open arms, especially since he had loved my mother dearly. That day, he had introduced me to your father, who was also 14 at the time.

It didn’t take long for your father and I to catch on. Of course, we were both hormonal teenagers, so that didn’t really help our cause. We went nuts. I still don’t know if we were actually in love or just experimenting. Anyway, about a year later, around my fifteenth birthday, I went crying to your grandparents, telling them that I was pregnant. Out of the blue, your father had proposed to me, and to avoid scandal, we were married the next day. Marina was born whenever I was only fifteen, but your father didn’t stop there. Instead of waiting, your father wanted to establish the entire family as quickly as possible. Whenever I was sixteen, Dennis was born. I miscarried when I was seventeen. The twins were born whenever I was eighteen. Then, Giselle, you were born when I was only nineteen.

You were only three whenever this happened, so I don’t know if you remember this, Giselle, but you weren’t going to be the last child. Whenever I was but twenty-two, I fell pregnant yet again. About halfway through the pregnancy, I got deathly sick. I remember that Rio cried every night, not knowing if I was going to live.”

“Oh, Mama, I remember that! We all felt so bad!” Giselle cried.

“The baby was already dead, but I was horrified of disappointing your father. After all, I had already miscarried once, and though he said that it wasn’t my fault, he was clearly sad. Whenever I was better and the baby was gone, your father was so gentle and kind to me...Oh, he was so loving!” Shelby cried, embracing Giselle. 

“Mama...keep talking! Tell me about grandpa! Please!” Giselle said, gently rubbing her mother’s back. Yulia courageously joined the hug.

“I remember trying to give Marina her first bath as a baby. Since I was only fifteen, I knew next to nothing about parenthood. Your father, not wanting anything to do with babies, lounged on the couch while I had to deal with a squirming child. As you know well enough, we have a primal fear of water...especially Marina. As soon as I put Marina into the water, she wailed, screamed, whined, and did everything in her little grasp to get out of my arms. All you could see was a wriggling ball of tentacles,” Shelby chuckled. “After about ten minutes, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I begged your grandparents to help me. Your grandfather took Marina from me, gave her a smile, and talked to her until she stopped crying. Then, he was the one who gave Marina her first bath. He loved that little girl with everything he had. He loved me almost as much…”

“Mama...sometimes we feel better when we talk about difficult subjects. Tell me about the day grandpa died,” Giselle said, testing her mother’s strength.

“W-Whenever your grandfather died, Marina was still a little one. I was cradling her, and I remember that she was trying to chew on one of her own tentacles. I constantly had to pull it out of her mouth to stop her from choking. Your father was actually quite jealous of the baby, as she was stealing a lot of my attention from him. Your Grandma Mahi was reading aloud from one of her favorite poetry books. Suddenly, one of the commanders rushed in, explaining to us that your grandfather had been stabbed. Your father and your grandma ran out of the house faster than my mind could even comprehend. I would have went with them, but I had to bundle the baby up. By the time Marina was ready to go, I was led to your grandparents’ bedroom, where your grandpa lay, clutching the large stab wound in his chest. Honestly, it was so close to his heart that I couldn’t understand how he was still alive. Your grandmother was a wreck. Your father tried to calm her down, but her cries echoed throughout the entire building. Your grandfather knew that he was going to die. After giving your grandma a tender kiss on the cheek, he asked for Marina. I handed the baby to him, and he held her close to his heart, getting some of his blood on the blanket that she was wrapped in. ‘Take good care of the lights of my life,’ he said, one hand on Marina and one hand on your grandmother. He never even mentioned your father. At around 5 that evening, he died. He was buried in Octo Canyon, as you know. Whenever Marina died, I wanted to have her buried next to him. Alas, fate looked down upon me, as not much longer, as you know, Sellie, Octo Canyon flooded and we had to leave both graves behind,” Shelby explained, still bitterly sobbing.

“Oh, Mrs. Shelby, you’re doing so well!” Yulia cried.

“Wh-Why are you having me do this?!” Shelby sobbed.

“Mama, you’ve been bottled up for two years! You need to tell someone! This may be hard, but...I need you to talk about the day Marina died!” Giselle said.

Shelby was going to have a breakdown, but she nodded, letting out a deep sigh. “Whenever Marina was sixteen years old… As you may remember, she got sick. At first I thought that it was a common cold, but then she became too weak to even leave bed. Then, she got so sick that she couldn’t eat. Your father said that she was overreacting and being weak. Then, she started complaining of horrible headaches. She slept twice as much. She started to get a high fever. Her face started to get red. I begged your father to get help, but he threatened to beat me if I did. Your father yelled at Marina to get over it, as he couldn’t afford her to miss any more work. I remember that you came and got me early the next morning when Marina wasn’t breathing. Whenever I came out of her room, I proclaimed that she was dead…” Shelby cried. “If your damn father would have gotten help, she would have survived! Marina is DEAD BECAUSE OF HIM!” Shelby bawled, leaning her head against a large rock.

“Mama, please don’t cry!” Giselle cried.

“Mrs. Shelby, please don’t cry! Marina is alive! She lives in the promised land!” Yulia cried. Shelby looked absolutely shocked.

“M-Marina would never do that to me! She loved me!” Shelby cried.

“Mama, we can’t talk about Marina right now! You’re so strong! You never talked about Marina or grandpa until now! Yulia is going to free us! Yulia is going to bring us to the promised land! Mama, she is the hope that Inkopolis needs...but we need your help! We need you to stop dad!” Giselle cried, Shelby wiping her eyes.

“Good lord, what has your father done?” Shelby said.

“Mama… dad has arrested Dennis!”

The expression on Shelby’s face switched from sad to pissed in about five seconds. “Is it that man’s goal to take away ALL OF MY CHILDREN?! He made Dennis and Marina work since they were four years old! He lets Marina die! Now he arrests Dennis?! Giselle, where are you and your brothers living?”

“We’re living with Grandma Mahi right now. Commander Briney’s wife didn’t want us living with him anymore,” Giselle replied.

“Good. Giselle, Inkling, come along. We’re going to get your brother out of prison,” Shelby responded. With that, the three of them exited the summit. Giselle, who was tightly holding her mother’s hand, was the happiest that she had been in two years.


	11. Chapter 11

While Yulia and Giselle had been gaining the support of their strongest ally yet, the rally in Inkopolis had begun. It was more than a rally, it was a revolution. So many young people had decided that the Octarians deserved just as much of an opportunity as they had. The bands involved in the concert had decided that they would also offer a fan meetup, so Pearl and Marina would be unavailable pretty much all day. The rally would start off in Inkopolis Square, but for the concert, everyone would migrate to Camp Triggerfish, which Pearl’s parents had closed in preparation. As music blared and youths cried out in the main square of Inkopolis, the officials had no choice but to listen to their cries. After all, Tavi’s speech had given pretty much spot-on arguments that they really didn’t have a counter for...why  _ were _ they keeping the Octarians away? There was seriously no reason to do so. Even some of the older Inklings were starting to realize that.

Pearl and Marina were honestly having a blast. Pearl was just happy seeing Marina in such a bubbly mood, and Marina almost cried multiple times because of how many people wanted to free the Octarians. She knew that she was getting so close to being able to see everyone again! Her siblings, her parents...Yulia! Not only that, but Yulia would be reunited with her parents, whom she had thought were dead for so long! Everything was going according to plan, and nothing could bring Marina’s spirits down. She was high on life!

“Pearlie, this is it! After the rally, they’ll surely let us free the Octarians! I-I can’t wait to see everyone!” Marina said, embracing Pearl excitedly. “I-I just really can’t wait to see Yuls again…” Pearl said, hugging her friend back.

“Though, have you seen Lynn? I thought she’d be anxious about getting a reply from the chief,” Marina said, looking around the busy square. There was no sight of the Salmonling.

“I still saw the yacht out at sea when I got up this morning. Looks like she and Emperor are still partying. Either that, or they partied too hard last night and are still out like lights...probably in the same bed,” Pearl chuckled. 

“I’d gravitate toward the second one. Lynn hasn’t exactly been alone with your brother before, let alone in the middle of the sea,” Marina chuckled as the fans started to flood in. Right before excited Inklings asking for autographs flooded her view, she saw a Salmonling man walking toward Lynn’s house. Of course! It was the messenger, delivering the chief’s reply.

**********

 

“Mama, where do you think that dad locked Dennis away?” Giselle asked as the three girls walked. “He definitely locked him in Cephalon HQ somewhere. That old room that we used to train the Octo Samurai was pretty high security. I wouldn’t be surprised if your father locked him in there. Only a select few happen to have the key to said room, and I happen to be one of them,” Shelby said.

“Mrs. Shelby...can we do something before we go and get Dennis?”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Well, I wanted to go to the Briney household and let everyone know that I’m okay. They were pretty worried about me. I thought that while I went there, you could go to your mother-in-law’s house and spend time with your sons. Macario was talking to me yesterday...he really, really misses you. Mrs. Shelby, he was crying..”

Yulia saw Shelby’s eyes fill with maternal love, yet sadness. She had almost neglected her children… She didn’t mean to! Marina’s unexpected death had hit her so hard that she had nearly ceased functioning! Now, she was going to redeem herself. She was going to be the mother that she once was.

“Oh, my precious, sweet Rio! I should have known...the boy was always so gentle and sensitive. Not only him, but Finny, too…and you, Sellie! I-I’m sorry for being such a horrible mother. I promise...I will never abandon you again, no matter what happens…” Shelby said, Giselle immediately pulling her into another hug. “Mama...I forgive you. Helping Yulia and changing dad’s heart will be the biggest gift that you have ever given us,” Giselle muttered as the three continued their walk. “Just...promise me that you and dad will love each other again…”

“Sellie, I’ve never stopped loving your father. Just because you’re angry with someone doesn’t mean you stop loving them. If I didn’t love him, I wouldn’t be wearing my wedding ring anymore. I would have thrown it off of the summit a long time ago. As mad as I can be at your father, I will never dislike him. After all, I could not dislike the man that was able to give me such wonderful children,” Shelby said, Giselle kissing her cheek.

“Dad’s never worn his wedding ring, though…”

“Sellie, your father’s hands were half the size that they are now when we got married! You need to remember that he was fifteen whenever we married! I was just about done growing, but your father wasn’t! Honestly, Sellie, by the time you were born, he had already grown out of it!” Shelby chuckled. “He keeps it in his pocket, though.”

“You know what, Mama? Whenever we get to the promised land, I’m gonna get a job and buy dad a new wedding ring! One that’ll fit his fat fingers!” Giselle cried triumphantly, Yulia’s entire face lighting up as she watched the scene. There was always something about seeing love between a parent and child that made her so...happy!

“Sellie, darling, you’re only fourteen! I don’t want you worrying about work yet,” Shelby smiled.

“I agree with your mother, Giselle. I made the mistake of finding work too early. I was bored out of my wits! You need to enjoy your youth,” Yulia smiled.

“Well, from what I’ve heard, you just chose the wrong job, Yulia,” Giselle said as the three arrived at Mahi’s house.

“Before you go to the Briney household, I would like to introduce you to my mother-in-law, Yulia,” Shelby said, hoping that she had pronounced the Inkling’s name right after hearing Giselle say it. “Don’t be afraid. Mahi is a very respectable woman. She would never hurt you. She loves the Inklings, even though they’ve hurt her.”

“A-All right. I’d love to meet her. I don’t know how she was able to watch her husband die. If that were me, I would have probably died with him…” Yulia mumbled as Shelby knocked on the door. Mahi soon answered.

In her youth, Mahi was probably a very, very beautiful woman...and she still was, just in a different way! She wasn’t incredibly tall, unlike Tavi, but she was still taller than Yulia. She shared the same dark skin as her husband, son, and the majority of her grandchildren. Actually, Yulia was surprised that three of Octavio’s five children had such dark skin. Shelby was very pale, and she had expected all of them to resemble Macario and Giselle. Anyway, Mahi had her somewhat short hair pulled up into a bun. As Inklings and Octolings did not go gray, unlike humans, her hair was still the vibrant magenta that it had been in her youth. Her eyes were green, which Yulia had assumed was one of the most common colors for Octarian eyes, as many members of the Ida family possessed them. These eyes showed her maturity, but also showed a loving tenderness. Whenever she had saw her daughter-in-law, her lips pulled themselves into a gentle smile.

Mahi, like Tavi, seemed to be in incredible shape for her age, as she still had great posture and was very mobile. She was wearing what looked like a traditional Octarian kimono that still fit her after decades of use. During special or formal occasions she probably wore geta, but as of now, she was just wearing simple flats.

“Oh, Shelby, darling, it’s been so long!” Mahi cried, embracing her daughter-in-law excitedly. “I know, I apologize for that. I was acting very childish…” Shelby replied.

“Shelby, don’t say that. Octavio was the one acting childish. If he would have just done something for the girl instead of yelling at her, it would have never happened. Anyway, what brings you here, dear?”

“I’ve come to see the boys. Sellie told me that the three of them were living with you for a while.”

“Oh, Sellie! I didn’t even see you! How ar- WOAH, HO HO! What have we got here?!” Mahi asked, walking up to the Inkling. “Is this the little lady that my son has been throwing a fit about?” the woman chuckled, looking Yulia over and softly pinching her cheeks. “How on earth could a grown man like him feel so much hatred for a little thing such as you?”

Suddenly, Macario had run out of the house, nearly bringing his mother to the ground because he had hugged her so tightly. His brother soon followed.

“Oh, Mama, it’s been so long! I’ve missed you so much!” he cried, tears streaming from his eyes once more. Looking at Yulia, whom his grandmother was still checking out, he gave her one of the sweetest, gentlest, and happiest looks that the Inkling had ever seen. Macario absolutely melted her, inside and out. No wonder he was called the  _ sweet, precious boy. _

“My sweet, sweet Rio… I’ve missed you too. If it wasn’t for Sellie and the Inkling, I would never have found the strength to come and see you again…” Shelby said, turning to her other son. “Finny, are you not going to embrace your mother? I know that you want to be strong, but-”

With that, the other twin hugged both his mother and brother, resting his head on his mother’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you as well, Mama. With everything that is going on, I’m glad that you’re here for us…”

“As sweet as this is, can I ask  _ why _ the children are living with me? I have no problem with it, but if it’s something with Octavio, I can go and pound some sense into him. Also...where’s Dennis at? He didn’t come with you three, did he?” Mahi finally asked.

“Mrs. Mahi, Dennis is in a lot of trouble, and I reckon it’s because of me…” Yulia said sadly, the elderly Octoling looking at her, obviously confused. Yulia didn’t look like she had enough strength to tell her the truth. Giselle had decided to step in for her.

“Grandma, Yulia here was trying to find a way to free the Octarians...and Dennis was one of her biggest supporters. You of all people should know how stubborn dad can be sometimes...so naturally, he tried to stop her. That ended up creating a pretty big gap in his relationship with Dennis. They’d gotten themselves into some pretty awful fights. Seriously, they yelled at each other a lot. Dad would cool down after a while, but Dennis...Dennis wouldn’t. He just kept getting angrier and angrier. It didn’t help that dad didn’t treat Yulia very nicely whenever they did see each other. Well, I guess that one day, Dennis just snapped. I...well, Mama hasn’t heard this either…”

“What is it, Sellie? Tell me,” Mahi said.

“Dennis...he plotted to kill dad.”

Shelby seemed completely and utterly surprised, almost falling to the ground. Mahi, however, didn’t seem that surprised at all.

“Honestly, I can’t say I’m shocked. He...he saw what happened to his father, and he kept acting the way he did, not caring. Don’t get me wrong, I love my son to death, but he’s as stubborn as stubborn gets. I try to give him advice and he thanks me by kicking me out of his house,” the elder said, inviting everyone into her house, as it was obvious that she wanted to sit down. She seated Shelby and the boys on one couch while she, Giselle, and Yulia sat on the other. Mahi took her seat on a large chair.

“Octavio has always been like this?” Yulia asked whenever they were all situated.

“Dear, he’s been like this since he was a child. Because he was the leader’s son and the future of the Octarians, he’s always felt entitled. He’s the absolute opposite of my husband. My husband never  _ wanted _ to be seen as a king, he just wanted to be seen as the representative of the Octarian people. My son, however, tuned the Octarian people out whenever he became ruler. He practically coronated himself. I’m surprised he didn’t have some kind of crown made, honestly. I’m not saying that he completely ignores the needs of the people, I’m saying that he’s obsessed with glory. He wants to be the alpha male. It’s not that he doesn’t  _ like _ your plan of freeing the Octarians, he’s just giving you so much trouble because he wants to be the one that acts this plan out. He doesn’t want to lose his spotlight to a teenage girl, especially an Inkling girl. He just needs to swallow his pride and let your team take over,” Mahi replied.

“THAT’S what dad’s so upset about? I’ll always respect dad, no matter what he does…” Giselle mumbled.

“I’ve always tried to be as polite and respectful as I could possibly be...but Octavio doesn’t respond to it,” Yulia added. Mahi smiled sadly.

“I understand. It’s all right, young Inkling. Octavio is not angry with you personally, he is angry at the species as a whole...mostly due to what happened to my husband. However, we cannot blame the Inklings. The people and the government are different bodies. Just because the government denies us does not mean that the people deny us. That is something that we all must learn at some point in our life,” the elder explained.

“The Inklings have been lied to their entire lives, Mrs. Mahi. Growing up, we are told that the Octarians are stable and happy down in the domes. It wasn’t until an Octoling escaped from the canyon two years ago that I learned the truth. Whenever I came down here to save Callie from Octavio, she had warned me, saying that I would become attached and end up staying to work toward freedom...I didn’t listen to her, and look at me now!” Yulia smiled.

“What she says is true. If it weren’t for my mother’s love for you and your husband, Mahi, I would have grown up thinking the same thing. It’s not the Inklings’ fault. They are simply being lied to, having no one to change their opinion,” Shelby, who Yulia constantly forgot actually  _ lived _ in Inkopolis for fourteen years, added.

“Yes, I understand that completely. The tides  _ are _ changing, you know. We are slowly starting to get restless. We are starting to see the light. The flames that we have since thought were extinguished are starting to rekindle themselves. Though...I worry that my son will never change,” Mahi said.

“Why would you think that, Grandma Mahi? Dad surely has to give in some time! There’s gonna be a revolution if he doesn’t!” Giselle cried.

“But will there be a revolution if he does? Dear Inkling, pretty much the entire canyon knows about you and your struggles! People have heard you talking to your companions, spread the word, and so on. Many Octarians have already decided that you are going to be the hero in this story, not my son. I have a suspicion that Octavio is afraid that they’re going to overthrow him if he changes. He thinks that there will be revolution either way, so why give in to an Inkling girl?” Mahi said calmly.

“Is that really what Octavio is afraid of? If it is, he truly must not listen to what I say,” Yulia replied.

“She’s right, Grandma Mahi! No matter what dad does to her or says to her, Yulia always reminds us to respect him as both a person and our leader!” Macario, who was still holding onto his mother, cried. Giselle and Finnegan quickly agreed with him.

“It is always nice to see gentle, respectful young girls like yourself. You almost remind me of little Mareanie. She was one of the most lofty, lifted girls I have ever met. The world was a song to her. Oh, Shelby, imagine how happy she will be to see you again! Not only that, but she will get to meet her grandchildren for the first time!” Mahi cried, smiling excitedly. Yulia saw the hope in this elder’s eyes, and it made her realize that her journey was almost over. Oh, if only she knew what Pearl, Marina, and Lynn were doing!

“The children she may be happy to see, but I doubt that she’ll ever be able to look me in the eyes again. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to look at her…I’m a traitor,” Shelby said, trying not to fall into her gloomy, upset state.

“Shelby, if there is anything to know about your mother, it is that she does not hold grudges. Whenever I had first gotten married, I felt unadulterated jealousy toward her because of how much my husband doted upon her. I tried to keep her away from him...but eventually she grew on me, much like she grew on everyone who met her. I later apologized for my actions, which she accepted immediately. You are just as loved and appreciated as your sister, Shelby. I know society did not treat you that way, but it’s true,” Mahi said sternly. Both of the boys snuggled closer to their mother.

“O-Of course… Children, whenever you finally meet your aunt Callie, please, feel no hostility toward her. Much like I could not help that I was the disliked sister, she could not help that she was the spoiled sister. Callie was my one companion growing up. Because I had no one else, Callie was all that mattered to me. She was my closest, dearest friend. I know that she will love you just as much,” Shelby smiled.

“Of course, Mama! Anyone who was nice to you is considered a friend in my book,” Macario said.

“Though, you may have a bit of trouble getting along with your great-grandpa...he despised me as a child, as I was telling Sellie. He did not even hold me whenever I was born. However, his mind has been changed by the war-” Shelby started before there was a knock at the door. Giselle went to go answer it, as she didn’t want her grandmother to have to get up.

“Hey, Giselle...is Yulia here? I’ve been looking everywhere for her,” Yulia heard Julien saying. Before Giselle could go into the living room to get her, Yulia wished everyone good day and went to meet the Octoling boy. The two went outside of the house, and there was a horribly sad look on Julien’s face.

“Julien...what happened? Is everything all right?”

“Yulia...it’s about Chyna. She’s...she’s passed away,” the boy replied, holding onto the Inkling’s hands. “One of the last things that she requested was to have you there when they buried her.”

All of the hope that Yulia had stored in her heart was promptly pushed to the back as this newfound sadness and grief had filled her. Chyna was one of the most innocent of the companions, second only to Macario. She was one of the most deserving companions! She was the one who deserved to get to the promised land, and she died right when it was going to happen! Yulia couldn’t move. She couldn’t find the strength to. She fell straight to the ground. She seemed to be okay at first, but then let out one of the loudest wails that Julien had ever heard.

The Octoling boy quickly picked her up, trying to shush Yulia as she quickly buried her head into her scarf, wiping her tear-filled eyes. She was crying pretty hard. There was just something about knowing that Chyna was dead…

“C’mon, I’ll let you say goodbye to her,” Julien said as he carried Yulia away from Mahi’s house and toward the Wells residence. She cuddled into Julien as much as she could, sniffling into his shirt. These two were no longer strangers to cuddling, as their awkward sleeping pattern had transitioned from cuddling for “warmth” to full-out spooning and even some forking.

“I should have done more for her! I should have paid more attention to her!” Yulia cried, wiping her eyes with her scarf. “I should have visited her whenever she was sick, but I was too afraid to! She cared so much about me and I just let her die!”

“Yulia, there was nothing you could do! M-Mother knew that she was going to die eventually, she just didn’t want to tell anyone! She was worried that if she told Chyna’s parents that she was going to die, then Mrs. Wells would harm herself out of grief…”

“I-Is Mrs. Wells okay? She’s already a very, very sick woman…”

“Mother has her relatively calm, but as expected, she’s in a lot of pain. I can’t really say that I blame her. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to watch  _ my  _ daughter die…”

The walk over was rather silent until Julien had finally reached the Wells residence. There was already a hole dug in the yard, so it was evident that they were getting ready to bury Chyna.

“We usually don’t have super long funerals for people down here. They’re usually just buried in the yard since we don’t have established graveyards or anything. If this were a normal circumstance, Chyna would be buried tomorrow, but I guess the Wells family doesn’t want her body around the baby for too long...though, they didn’t want to bury Chyna until you got the chance to say goodbye to her. They knew that she really loved you…” Julien mumbled as he put Yulia down. The Inkling still couldn’t move. He had to hold her arm as they walked into the house.

The Wells residence...wasn’t very nice, to put it bluntly, but it was all that they could afford. It was only two rooms, with one room being both the living room and bedroom, while the other room was a kitchen. If they had to use the bathroom, there was an outhouse. The entire household slept in the same bed, which was just some kind of shanty mattress. However, the bed was now being taken up by Chyna’s body, which is probably another reason why they wanted to bury her the same day she died.

In her wheelchair sat Mrs. Wells, wiping tears from her dark, sunken eyes. In her arms sat the baby, who was wrapped in one of his older sister’s old shirts. He was far too young to realize that Chyna was dead, so he just seemed oblivious to the whole ordeal and wondered why on earth his parents were so sad. Mr. Wells had just come in from digging the grave, a shovel in his hand and a look of pure despair on his face. Marlene, Darlene, Giana, and Myrtle were all in the house.

As mentioned, Chyna’s body lay on the bed. She was clad in only her rather shanty-looking nightdress, her eyes closed as she lay in a slumped position. It was obvious that she hadn’t been moved since she had died.

“Come closer, little Inkling,” Mrs. Wells said, her weak voice being especially tremulous. Yulia felt as if she was going to throw up. Julien gently nudged her, and she hobbled forward, looking at Chyna’s sickly face.

“I-I’m so sorry…” Yulia stuttered, gently leaning down and kissing Chyna’s forehead. Her body was still warm, so it really  _ was _ like she was just asleep. Yulia kept trying to tell herself that she wasn’t dead…

“Kiss me! Kiss me!” the baby cried, watching as Yulia had kissed his sister. Maybe it was wrong to call him a baby, as he was actually more of a toddler...but to everyone, he  _ was  _ the baby _. _ Yulia looked at Mrs. Wells nervously.

“Well? Are you going to kiss him?” Mrs. Wells asked, holding out her son, who was about 2 years old.

“I’m sorry, ma’am…” Yulia said, gently leaning down and kissing the baby’s head in the same way that she had kissed Chyna’s. The baby, absolutely delighted, giggled like a madman and cuddled into his mother.

“I know that my husband said this to you at Myrtle’s before Chyna died, but you cannot blame yourself for this. It is not your fault. Her injuries were not what killed her. It was my genes that did,” Mrs. Wells cried, the baby reaching up and wiping a tear from her cheek.

“Mrs. Wells, it isn’t your fault either! How did you know that you were going to pass it on to her? There was absolutely no way of telling. You didn’t know that it was hereditary,” Marlene said, placing a hand on the sick woman’s shoulder.

“At least she was happy whenever she died. She said that she wasn’t afraid. She said that she knew that the Octarians would be freed soon... She said that she had hope in the Inkling that was going to save us all,” Mr. Wells said as everyone in the room looked at Yulia.

“Oh, Chyna! She died not realizing how big of a role she played in my plan! Every single Octarian in this canyon is important in the plan!” Yulia cried, gently going to Chyna and brushing her hair away from her face.

With this, everybody said their final goodbyes to Chyna. Yulia ended up breaking down once more, flinging herself into horrible sickness. She ended up having to lay on the bed where Chyna’s body once was, as she was far too sick to watch the actual burial. Her head spun, her stomach churned, and she ended up fainting.. After the burial, Marlene came in and saw that Yulia was still out, so she had to carry the ailing Inkling back to the house.

**********

While this whole incident was going on, the rally in Inkopolis was completely and utterly booming. Everyone was having the time of their life! Even the government officials were seeming to lean toward the side of the protestors. However, whenever the Off the Hook portion of the fan meetup was over, Marina snuck her way out of the mass of screaming Inklings to go to Lynn’s cabana. There, she and her Salmonling friend would plan what to do next, as well as give their reply to the chief.

“Lynn? Are you home? Or are you still out partying?” Marina called into the hut, smiling as her grandfather came out.

“Lynn told me to tell you that she’s out at the subway station. She came home with a very large smile on her face, so she must have enjoyed herself. She’s finally finished knocking down the first wall. The walk to Octo Canyon from Inkopolis is horribly long, so Lynn wanted to check out the train to see if she could find anyone to fi-”

“OH! Grandpa, I can fix it! I can fix it! I’ll go see her in a minute! Did Lynn mention anything about what the chief said?” Marina said excitedly.

“The chief basically said that he was going to send a few Samonlings to watch the plan unfold. If the plan unfolds successfully, he’s coming over to anoint Lynn as one of his elites; that is, Samlonlings that have done truly heroic and selfless acts. He told her that he wanted her to remain a traditional Salmonling, but permitted her to have a modern flair to her. Thus, he had some of the women of Lynn’s village sew her an outfit. He sent her a top and several beautiful, intricate skirts. She’s wearing the top and one of the skirts right now. Oh, Marina, she looks delightful!” Tavi explained, bringing Marina to Lynn’s bed and showing off some of the skirts to her. They were all a solid color, most of them featuring floral patterns, though one of them was a fabric skirt with a grass belt over it, which was kind of stereotypical, yes, but at least they hadn’t sent her any coconut bras. Laying on Lynn’s bed were also some jewelry that the Salmonlings had sent her.

“Oh, grandpa, those are gorgeous! I guess it shows that the Salmonlings really look after each other… Well, I think that I should go and see Lynn at the station. Are you okay by yourself? Would you like to come with me?” Marina asked, interlocking arms with her grandfather.

“Well, I haven’t taken my evening walk yet. It won’t kill me to go to the station with you,” Tavi smiled, the two Octolings walking off to the station to meet up with Lynn.

Whenever they walked through the plaza, some people saw Tavi and immediately recognized him as the kind man that had given that mind-blowing speech. These people started clapping for the elderly Octoling, which got the attention of more people. Like falling dominoes, the large audience all broke out in straight out applause, making the elderly man blush. Marina soon backed away from her grandfather, letting him see all of his supporters in full view.

Oh, the look on Tavi’s face was absolutely priceless! He hadn’t had this many people clap for him since he was leading the Octarians! Even then, he had never thought that he could gain the hearts of young people due to his age, but this obviously proved him wrong!

“Thank you! Thank you all! Freedom will truly be at our fingertips in a short while! Because of you, I am able to feel what it is like to be loved again! Because of everyone here, I have been shown that there is not place for hate in this world!” Tavi cried, tears running down his wrinkled face as the people started to clap louder. When the applause died down, Tavi gave a bow, and he and his granddaughter walked to the station, where Lynn was still checking out the train.

“L-Lynn...you look absolutely stunning! And look at what you did to the wall!” Marina cried, embracing her best friend excitedly. Marina saw that the black top that the Salmonids had sent Lynn was cropped, and she wore the pearl belt that her mother had given her. Against her bare skin and her birthmark, it looked amazing.

“I-I just can’t believe that the  _ ali’i  _ had all of the women sew these for me...I can’t tell you how grateful I am!” Lynn smiled, still looking over the train. “S-Sis...do you think that you can-”

“Fix it? Absolutely. I’ve been working on machinery since I was four years old. I could do more than fix it.”

“Sis, if you just focus on the fixing, I can get her cleaned up. There’s no way that the Octarians could walk such long a distance. The children and elders would end up killing themselves. If we just get the train working, then we can pick people up and transport them here ourselves. I’m assuming that you know how to drive this, too?”

“Well, I’ve never actually driven one, but I could probably try. I can’t promise that I won’t end up driving it through the wall of the station, but hey, experience,” Marina chuckled, Lynn playfully slapping her back. 

“There’s another wall at the entrance of Octo Canyon, though. Please don’t tell me that you plan on driving the train through it, Marina. I don’t think that will work,” Tavi chuckled.

“Well, if we fix the train and drive it up to the wall, I can get the hammer and knock it down. I’ve really gotten used to using the hammer, so I should be able to get it knocked down relatively quickly. I’m hoping that if I make a hole just large enough to get out of, then the Octarian people can help me knock the rest of it down,” Lynn explained, Tavi nodding.

“I don’t know how much the people can help, though. They usually aren’t allowed to carry things that are considered weapons. They could try to use what they have, but I don’t know how much of a help they can be,” Marina replied.

“That’s understandable. Do we have a game plan for whenever we actually  _ get _ into Octo Canyon? I know for sure that we need to send Pearl to get Yulia. She really seems to miss her,” Lynn said. 

“Definitely. I want you to be the one to go and talk to my parents, though. If I just showed up out of the blue, I think my poor Mama would have a heart attack... Besides, I want to get my siblings rounded up. Yulia has probably told them that I’m not dead. They probably hate me…” Marina mumbled.

“C’mon, Sis, I don’t think that anyone could ever hate you. Though, how do you think your parents will respond when some weird looking fish bursts through the wall and proclaims freedom for the Octarian race? They’ll think I’m crazy!” Lynn replied nervously.

“Lynn, whenever you get there, ask for Mahi. Whenever you see my darling Mahi, tell her that I am alive. Tell her that after eighteen years, I still fix my eyes on no one but her. Tell her that you are my rescuer, and that you have come to rescue the rest of Octo Canyon as well. She will believe you. After around fifty years of marriage, our souls have fused to become one. Because of this, she will know that you are telling the truth,” Tavi said gently.

“K-Kahuna…” Lynn stuttered, embracing the old man. “I am not your rescuer, you are mine. Whenever my own family chose to leave me, you never gave up on me. I do not know what having a grandfather is like, but I like to consider you my grandfather. Not only a grandfather, but a friend…” the Salmonling cried, Marina quickly joining the embrace.

“After the Octarians had attempted to assassinate me, I never thought that I could love anyone again… However, you two have shown me the light. I want you two to know how much I love you...both of you,” Tavi smiled.

“Oh, grandpa! If you make me cry, I’ll smudge my eyeliner!” Marina said, chuckling.

“Yo, Marina!” Pearl suddenly cried into the tunnel, her loud voice echoing. “We’re gonna be practicing in five! Ya better shimmy your way up here!”

“Coming, Pearlie!” Marina cried angelically, saying a quick goodbye to her friend and grandfather before running off.

“Well, that settles it! Tomorrow, Marina and I will work on fixing the train up! What are you going to do now, kahuna?” Lynn asked.

“I think that I’m going to finish up my walk for the day and head home. It’s almost time for my evening cup of tea, y’know,” Tavi smiled.

“I’ll meet you at home later, then. I’m going to go and visit my mother’s grave. I-I need to talk to her for a little bit,” Lynn smiled sadly. The two then went their separate ways.

**********

Followed by her remaining three children, Shelby made her way to Cephalon HQ, knowing exactly where Dennis would be. Luckily, her husband didn’t seem to be around, so she couldn’t get scolded by him.

“Commander Briney! Commander Morgan!” Shelby called out, the two men dutifully coming to her and saluting. This _Commander_ _Morgan_ was Giana’s father.

“Yes, madam?” Commander Briney asked.

“Has Octavio locked Dennis in Room 015?”

“Yes, madam.”

“Very well. Dismiss all of the commanders. Dismiss everyone in the barracks as well. We are on the brink of freedom,” Shelby said, the children looking incredibly excited at this.

“If Octavio asks, madam?” Commander Morgan replied.

“If he asks, do not lie to him. Tell him that it was my doing. I am not ashamed of it. My eyes have been opened.”

“Yes, madam.”

“One more thing, you two,” Shelby said as they were about to leave.

“Yes, madam?” the two men said simultaneously.

“Please, take good care of the Inkling. She is ailing. Whenever she recovers, she will be the one to free us.”

The commanders saluted once more, Shelby returning the salute. The two men walked off in a rather uniform way, but once they reached the commanders’ quarters, there was celebration and joy in the voices of all of the men involved. Shelby smiled as she heard it.

“Oh, Mama! Listen to how happy they are!” Macario smiled, holding his mother’s hand as the four of them walked to Room 015. This was the room that Shelby had suspected.

“Why did you do it, Mama? What if war breaks out? We’ll have no army! We’ll continue to be stuck down here!” Finnegan inquired.

“Finny, war will not break out. You’ll just have to trust me on this one. I dismissed everyone because I do not want them to see themselves as soldiers whenever they get to the surface. I want them to see themselves as citizens. I thought that you of all people would be happy with this, Finny. You no longer have to sneak out to see Juno,” Shelby smiled. Shelby was one of the only people who Finnegan had told about his love, as Octavio strictly forbid any of his children from getting involved with future soldiers training in the barracks.

“Okay, Mama. I trust you,” the boy smiled as Shelby unlocked the door. As the four walked in, Shelby closed the door once again so no one would get suspicious.

Dennis was sitting in the corner of the room, sulking to himself. He hadn’t even been in “prison” for very long, but he was already pretty distraught. By the scabs on his knuckles, it was obvious that he had been throwing punches at the wall. As his mother and siblings walked in, he didn’t even budge, just assuming that it was his father coming in to torment him.

“Dennis,” Shelby said sternly, her eldest son quickly jumping up in shock. Out of all of the people that he had expected to come and visit him, his mother was last on the list.

“M-Mama...what are you doing here?” Dennis asked, turning toward his mother. “Did he throw you guys in prison, too?”

“Dennis, your father doesn’t know that we’re here. We’ve come to get you outta here,” Shelby explained. “Though, I have one condition that you must follow.”

“What is it, Mama?”

“You and your father have to set all of your differences aside. I cannot stand having my son and my husband hate each other!” Shelby cried. Dennis looked hurt.

“Mama, I’ll never be able to look that man in the eyes again! He imprisoned me! He tried to kill Yulia! If I have to forgive him, I’d rather stay here!”

“Dennis, you’re lucky that I’m even getting you out of here in the first place! Honestly, you deserve to be here! You tried to assassinate the Octarian leader!” Shelby cried.

“I-I know, Mama. I let my emotions get the best of me. I wasn’t thinking.”

“As for Yulia, she has chosen to forgive and love your father, no matter what he tried to do to her. She constantly urges her listeners to continue to love and respect him, even with how badly he has treated her. If you truly cared for Yulia, you would be selfless and try to forgive him as she has. Hatred gets you nowhere in this world. I think that your grandfather’s final moments were a prime example of that,” Shelby said, her son quickly hugging her.

“I’m sorry, Mama. I’ll try to do it...for Yulia. She has suffered much more than me. As the second oldest or the oldest, depending on if you think that Marina is dead or alive, I should really try to be a better role model for my siblings,” Dennis said, looking at the three Octolings standing behind their mother.

“That’s the Dennis that I know and love. Now, we must seek out your father. He will not yell at me whenever you are around,” Shelby smiled. With that, the woman and her four children walked out of the cell, going to find Octavio.

**********

“Good evening, Mama…” Lynn said in her native language, finally reaching the secluded beach where her mother was buried. Her speech was much more sophisticated and less choppy whenever she spoke, which made her sound like a completely different person. “I am sorry that I have not been around to visit lately. If you really are watching over me like everyone says that you are, you will know that Papa has recently left as well. I have been abandoned by both of my parents now. Maybe this is for a good purpose. Maybe it is because you and Papa made the mistake that you did.

I know, Mama, that you are not pleased with my actions from both this morning and last night. You and Papa both want me to go to the Islands and live the rest of my life there. However, Mama, I am going to speak my mind to you, though you are dead. I do love you, very much, but you are selfish for trying to make me live the life that you could not. I have established my friendships...no, I have established my Sisterhood. Pearl, Marina and I are sisters, not friends. Maybe not by blood, but by soul. I do admit that I suffered from not being loved as a child, but I was able to fight and overcome this. I have found a love of my own. You are not dumb, Mama, you know that according to Salmonling law, we are not allowed to marry out of our race. You know how dearly I love Emperor, and if I could just get him to love me, I would be giving up everything for him. As if the burden of never being legally recognized was not enough, you tried to tell me that you do not support it? Oh, Mama, I do not know how you can say that you want me to live a life of love while also trying to separate me from the boy that I believe that I was destined to be with! I am confused, Mama, so confused! We are soulmates! My soul is already bound to his!

Oh, please do not think that I am saying this out of hatred! No matter what you told me, I still love you dearly. You will always be my loving mother. All I am trying to say is that I have recently been told to listen to the voice inside. I have been told that sometimes, listening to your parents isn’t always the best thing to do. I am starting to believe this,” Lynn said, wiping tears from her eyes as she knelt by her mother’s grave. Whenever she wasn’t thinking about freeing the Octarians and getting Yulia back, she was focusing on this internal struggle of pleasing her parents and listening to her heart.

“Mama, I’m sorry that I couldn’t stay a little longer, but I’m starting to get hungry. I’m making my favorite… Not to mention macaroni salad! I remember eating macaroni salad on an hourly basis as a child!” Lynn giggled as she blew a kiss toward her mother’s grave, walking off. By this point, the concert was starting, as evident by the loud music.

**********

“What the hell is that boy doing with you, Mama?” Octavio asked as his wife and the children stood in front of him. “Are you insane?! First you go and let everyone take a little vacation, and now you’re bustin’ out a convicted criminal?! Aren’t ya supposed to be cryin’ your eyes out at the summit or something?” Yep, Octavio referred to Shelby as  _ Mama.  _ He’d done it ever since they’d met, and that’s partially why all of the children referred to Shelby as  _ Mama _ and Octavio as simply  _ dad. _ To make it even more confusing, he referred to Mahi, his actual mother, as  _ Mama, _ and as we know, he refers to Yulia as  _ Li’l Mama. _ Octavio is an interesting man.

“Octavio… I cannot sit and mourn Marina anymore. You are the one that I should be mourning. You are so obsessed with glory that you are hindering our freedom! Please, Octavio, all I ask is that you step aside  _ just this once! _ You may not be able to gain the respect of the entire canyon, but I assure you that the children will look up to you for as long as they live! The more you stand in the way and postpone freedom, the more the Octarians will resent you! You are doing no good by standing in the way! Please, Octavio…” Shelby cried, looking her husband in the eyes. In his wife’s green eyes, Octavio no longer saw a mourning mother who refused to get over their daughter’s death. He now saw a determined wife who had forced herself out of grief to do what was best for not only her husband, but her other children. It was obvious that there was no getting out of this.

“Dad...if I can set our differences aside, even with how badly we’ve been acting toward each other, then surely you can set your differences with Yulia aside. I’m not saying that you have to  _ like _ her, I’m just saying that you have to be willing to work with her. I know I told you that I hated you, but...I really don’t. I’m not very good at controlling myself, and my conscience thought that yelling at you and trying to hurt you would change your mind. Turns out I was wrong,” Dennis added, slowly moving beside Shelby. He had expected his father to yell at him, but instead, Octavio hugged his son, which was something that was long overdue.

“I guess that I was acting pretty unreasonable. I don’t want to admit that my wife yelling at me made me realize it, but I can’t lie. Even if that Inkling does make my blood boil, I think I can stand putting our differences aside and working with her for just a little while…” Octavio said, lowering his gaze. He felt absolutely humiliated.

“You know…” Giselle started, “this is the first time we’ve all been together as a functional family in a long, long time. I don’t think that even freedom could feel as good as this,” she smiled, her parents quickly shooting each other a glance. They were different looks, but both screamed  _ well, we screwed up. _

For the first time in two years, ever since Marina had supposedly died, the Ida family walked home together...as a family.

**********

The next morning, nearly everyone in Inkopolis woke up at the crack of dawn, switching on their TVs, tuning their radios, or surfing the Web to try to see the news that was apparently posted regarding yesterday’s rally. Pearl was apparently the first of our little quartet to hear, as she let out a booming scream that made Marina almost fall out of bed. Lynn could honestly sleep through the apocalypse and Tavi was already awake, taking his morning walk.

“Pearl…what on earth are you yelling about?! Do you not realize how early it is?!” Marina asked, immediately going to get herself some coffee. 

“No time for coffee, Rina! Those weak wimps in the government were so afraid of a bunch of kids that they gave us the okay! You need to get Lynn up and start working on that train!” Pearl cried, Marina almost dropping the coffee pot.

“Already?! Pearl, that’s not weak of them. That’s smart. I’m sure that they don’t want Inkopolis in turmoil. I’ll get Lynn up! Just explain the situation to my grandpa whenever he gets home,” Marina said. Pearl nodded, and Marina quickly rushed outside, where Lynn was sleeping, as she liked to sleep outside on nice nights, nearly pushing her into the shrubbery because she shook her so hard.

“Hmmm…?” Lynn mumbled, wiping her eyes, obviously not in much of a hurry to wake up. Marina, on the other hand, looked like she was going to explode.

“Quick, Lynn! Get up! Get a slab of fish or something to eat on the way to the train! We have a lot of work ahead of us! We have a canyon to free!” Marina screamed, yanking Lynn off of the ground while still taking care not to tear her webbed fingers or arm fins.

“You don’t mean…” Lynn started, Marina cutting her off by giving her a big hug.

“Yes! My grandpa’s speech worked! The rally worked! We’re going to free the Octarians! We can’t waste any time, Lynn! We have to get going!” Marina cried, letting Lynn get out of bed and get changed.

Marina obviously wasn’t going to give Lynn enough time to eat breakfast, so she just grabbed her leftover macaroni salad, slapping it in the bucket that she had. She also threw some sponges and soap in there, as her job would be cleaning the train.

“If you just let me stop by my place, I’ll get my toolbox,” Marina said, grabbing whatever she could from Lynn’s stash, as eating was one of her last concerns. Lynn nodded, and once they were both dressed and ready, they walked off. Whenever the train was fixed up, they’d pick Pearl up, then they’d head into Octo Canyon once and for all.

  
  



	12. Chapter 12

Lynn and Marina quickly got to the station, where the train sat. It hadn’t been vandalized or anything, it was just  _ really _ dirty from years of being decommissioned. 

“Marina...we don’t have any way to power the train. How on earth are you going to get this thing moving?” Lynn asked, Marina giving her a smug look.

“Oh, Lynn, never underestimate an Octarian engineer. I know how to fix these puppies as well as you know how to make delicious meals out of canned meat,” Marina chuckled. “Now, if you’d just go and start washing off the backside, I’ll work my magic on the front.”

Lynn nodded, going to the back of the long train. She had to try and clean the entire train with nothing but a bucket of soapy water and a sponge, but if Marina could somehow manage to get it powered up, Lynn could manage to clean it.

Powering the train up is exactly what Marina did. First, Lynn had heard Marina scream “I’m in!” Then, the Salmonling jumped up in surprise as she heard the train engine! How the hell did Marina power the train up?! It was incredibly unrealistic, but then again, it was Marina.

“Do you think you can get it moving?” Lynn called, climbing on top of the train to get the top of it cleaned first.

“I just need to fiddle with the insides a little bit, but we should get her moving by lunchtime!” Marina cried excitedly, going to her massive toolbox. Lynn nodded, smiling as she started working her hardest to get the train cleaned while also snacking on her delicious macaroni salad.

“So...if we get this whole thing settled, the chief’s gonna come and anoint you as a hero? That’s so cool, Lynn! If anything, that should want you to work even harder, huh?” Marina asked excitedly as the two worked on the train. The Octoling was obviously very, very excited. 

“Yeah, I guess… Though, I am afraid that he’ll ask me to go back to the Islands with him. If I’m anointed as a hero, then there will be plenty of men that will want to take me as a wife. Since my marriage will only be considered legal if I marry another Salmonling, I’m sure that I’ll be tempted to go back to the Islands and honor my parents...but the voice inside is just screaming at me to stay here, to keep the Sisterhood, to stay close to the one that I love,” Lynn mumbled as she worked as hard as she could on cleaning the train. It honestly wasn’t all that dirty, it was just incredibly dusty.

“Lynn, what time period do the Salmonlings live in? Honestly, I know it’s your culture and everything, and I can respect that, but that’s just silly. You’ve lived nearly your entire life in Inkopolis, away from the Islands. All of your friends except for me are Inklings, and even then, we Octolings aren’t that much different than Inklings. Of course you’d naturally fall in love with an Inkling...and they’re trying to take that away from you?” Marina asked, still continuing to mess around with the insides of the train.

“Not only that, but you seriously have reproduction pounded into your head, even though the voice inside is telling you that having children isn’t your thing. I know Emperor calls himself the king and all, and I know that he’s  _ your _ king, but this isn’t medieval times! You don’t  _ need _ to give him an heir, Lynn! I’m sure that an affectionate, loyal, yet independent girl like yourself would be more than enough! Even if you don’t end up with Emperor, it’s the same for any man. I know this is hard for you to fathom since from a young age you’re told that you must be a mother, but...Lynn, you have to think about your own father! Look at what he did! He didn’t want children, so he abandoned your pregnant, sick mother, who didn’t plan on getting pregnant, either. Your mother chose to love you, but he didn’t. He chose to mistreat you. He chose to hate both his child and the woman that mothered his child. I’m not saying that I understand, considering that my parents loved my siblings and me, but do you really want to be like him? Look at how bitter he was, Lynn. Do you want to be bitter?” Marina asked, going harder on the parts.

“Marina, I’m sorry, but I just can’t go around and suddenly change my mind after having it pounded into my memory. The main purpose of any Salmonling’s life, male or female, is to reproduce and keep the population growing. Who knows, my child could be the one to balance the population out. We’re a very small population, you know,” Lynn replied.

“Lynn! The Octarian population is small, too! We have about one male for every three females! Even then, we don’t go around and tell people that they  _ have _ to have kids to keep the population growing! My parents had five children because they  _ wanted  _ to, not because they  _ had _ to. Whenever the Octarians are free, Inklings and Octolings will be able to marry, which will boost population growth even further! I know you don’t have that privilege, but you need to stop worrying about being a mother. Inklings and Salmonlings can’t breed, which is okay, since you didn’t want children anyway. Just stop it there,” Marina said in a motherly way, looking at Lynn sternly. Lynn nodded, going back to cleaning the train.

“Lynn, I’m sorry. I just hate seeing you get so down on yourself. You’re part of the Sisterhood, and sisters gotta look out for each other. I just want you to know that whichever path you take in life, even if we don’t see each other again, I’ll always be your friend. Will I be sad if you go back to the Islands and lead a miserable life? Absolutely. I’d be a lot happier if you’d stay here with Pearlie and me, but I don’t want to control you,” Marina smiled after about a half hour of silence. She was making some nice progress on cleaning up the inside of the train, making sure that it was running smoothly. Lynn, being a fast worker, had finished cleaning the top of the train and was now working on the front.

“No, Marina, I’m the one that should be sorry. You were just trying to give me guidance and I snapped on you. I just want to bring honor to my parents, is all. If your mother were dying and she asked you to do something that you didn’t want to do, would you do it for her?” Lynn asked. “You don’t have to agree with me, Sis, I just want your honest opinion.”

“Honestly, it depends on what the task would be. If it would be just a minor inconvenience, I’d do it. If it were something like your case, however, I dearly love Mama, but I wouldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. If Mama truly loved me, which she does, and I’m sure yours did, too, she’d truly understand my reasoning and forgive me,” Marina smiled, Lynn seeming downcast, as if she were going to cry.

“D-Do you think that my mother would have forgiven me if she were alive? I know that you didn’t know her very well, but from what you saw of her, do you think she would have? Honestly, Marina, I don’t know if I can go back to the Islands…” Lynn sniffled.

“If she cared anything about you, she would have forgiven you. I’m sure that she would have listened to your side of the story. She would have realized that what she wanted you to do was just not part of your life’s plan! Lynn, don’t worry. I do understand the importance of listening to your parents and everything, but it’s  _ your _ life, and they won’t always be around for it. Honestly, they weren’t around for it in the first place. What I’m trying to say is that while listening to your parents is important, making sure that you’re content should be your top priority. All right?” Marina smiled, ruffling Lynn’s hair.

“All right,” Lynn replied, smiling.

“Besides, I’m pretty sure that you could wrap any boy in Inkopolis around your finger if you keep acting the way you are! What is there not to love?! You’re loyal, you’re kind, you’re affectionate...and you’re a great cook! I would have never gotten a taste of the Islands without ya! Pass the macaroni salad, Lynn!” Marina chuckled, her friend nodding.

“C’mon, Sis. If there’s someone who can catch a mate, it’s you. Your makeup is always perfect, you have a great sense of humor, and you always know how to cheer me up when I need it. I’ll never be civilized. There’s something wild inside of me that will never be tamed. I’m just a savage. A poison,” Lynn shrugged as she passed her friend the delicious, peppery pasta. Marina looked like she was about to rush over and slap the shit out of her friend.

“What Pearl’s dad said about you ten years ago doesn’t apply. You can be wild without being a savage. No more moping,” Marina said, Lynn just going back to cleaning the train.

**********

That same morning, Yulia woke up, her fever pretty high. Chyna’s death had just sparked something in her and she became incredibly ill. It was very early in the morning, so Julien was fast asleep, drooling all over her stomach. God...he was adorable. She had let Chyna down, but she wasn’t going to let Julien down. He was her true companion, her best friend. Did she...love him? I mean, she loved all of her companions, but was there something about Julien that made her heart beat faster than usual? Something about him that made her feel like she was melting? Yes and yes. Maybe the was thinking too hard. After all, Yulia was notorious for being popular with the boys. It...it was probably just her body telling her to get some! Yeah! Just that!

Yulia may have been sick, but the rest of the family was absolutely ecstatic. Commander Briney and Commander Morgan were  _ home!  _ They hadn’t been home in ages! Shelby didn’t know it, but right now, she was the heroine of Octo Canyon. By dismissing the commanders and those training in the barracks, Shelby reunited so many families, not just her own! The night was full of celebration as people were able to finally embrace those that they had not seen in so long. 

Whenever Mr. Briney and Mr. Morgan came home together and explained to their wives and children that they were dismissed, the first thought was obviously worry. Would Octavio send them back? What about money? Would they lose the house? However, as the men explained what Shelby had told them to do, all eyes were on Yulia. Somehow, this little, sickly Inkling would be able to deliver everyone and give them the freedom that they deserved. If Shelby, the leader’s wife, had faith in her, then surely the rest of Octo Canyon could. The rest of the night was one of great happiness and joy, however, especially for young Julien and Giana, who were only able to see their fathers once in a blue moon. Yes, Chyna was dead. Yes, there was great grief on that part, but the joy was able to override it for most. Yulia was far too ill to celebrate, however, as the latter was not able to overcome the intense feelings of the former. She didn’t know how long the family stayed up and celebrated, but they must have decided to go to bed pretty late, as she didn’t feel Julien climb into bed with her for quite a long time.

Yulia tried to go back to sleep, but there was something in the back of her mind that wouldn’t let her rest. She knew that the Octarians were tired of waiting. She knew that they wanted to move into Inkopolis and didn’t blame them for that. Keep in mind that she had absolutely no idea of Pearl, Marina, and Lynn’s plan for freedom. She just decided that she would have to deal with the consequences once the Octarians were freed. As much as she wanted to get started and try to figure out how the hell she was going to get an entire civilization into Inkopolis, there was something inside that was just telling her not to. It wasn’t telling her to give up, it was just telling her that today wasn’t the day.

_ ‘Maybe the voice is right,’ _ Yulia thought to herself,  _ ‘maybe today isn’t the day for freedom. After all, we don’t even have a way to get the Octarians out of the canyon!’  _ Yulia had some strange feeling that other people were trying to help her from above. She just didn’t know  _ what _ they were doing. Finally, she was able to go back to sleep.

Whenever she eventually did wake up, she saw that pretty much everyone was gathered around her bed. Julien, Giana, Marlene, Darlene, Mr. Briney, Mr. Morgan...but the Ida family was also there! Shelby, the children, and Mahi had decided to make their appearance! Myrtle also happened to be there.

“Hey, girlie. You look a little better,” Marlene smiled, ruffling her hair. However, her eyes were only focused on one person. She quickly got up from the bed, rushing up and embracing Dennis. She wasn’t crying, but she was pretty close. She buried her head into his jacket, holding him close to her. He didn’t even have to apologize. She had already forgiven him.

“H-Hey, Yuls…” Dennis said, gently stroking her back as his other arm returned her embrace.

“I missed you…” The Inkling replied with a sniffle.

“Yuls, I wasn’t even gone that long,” Dennis chuckled.

“I didn’t know! I thought I would never see you again!”

“Y-Yeah… Mama had to bail me out, but I’m here. I’ll be with you until the very end. We all will.”

The rest of the team nodded in agreement. Dennis then said that he wanted to talk to Yulia in private. The others left, but Julien stood beside the door, making sure that Dennis wasn’t able to pound any more propaganda into Yulia’s little head.

“First off, I want to apologize for what I did to my dad...and what I did to you. Spending time in prison, even if it wasn’t a lot of time, made me learn that I was wrong. It made me realize how much I had hurt you...both of you,” Dennis mumbled whenever the room was clear. He didn’t expect Yulia to reply, as he knew that she would immediately forgive him.

“I also wanted to let you know that I’ve made up with my dad. We’ve both realized that our arguments were getting us nowhere. Last night, whenever he came to tell us goodnight, he...he said that he loved me, and I said that I loved him, too. He honestly hadn’t told me that he loved me in such a long time. Whenever I was little, I always told my father that I loved him in a mechanical way; I said it without thinking. However, when I said it last night, I realized that I actually  _ did _ love him. Despite what he did to me, despite what he did to you, I loved him. I-I knew that I had to tell you about it,” Dennis said. Yulia smiled warmly, just like on Myrtle’s painting, holding his large hands in her tiny ones.

“Dennis, that’s great! I’m so proud of you. I knew that you could overcome your negative feelings. I’m sure that your siblings saw that. I’m sure that they’re looking up to you more than they ever had,” Yulia smiled.

“Not only that, but we’re finally a family again! This was the first time in ages that we all sat down and ate dinner together. In the evening, we actually  _ talked. _ Mama was smiling and laughing. Much like I had forgiven my father, Sellie finally decided to put her bitter feelings toward Marina aside. Not only did dad tell us that he loved us before bed, he and Mama kissed each other. They hadn’t shown each other affection since Marina had gotten sick. Honestly, it made me realize how strong that they both are. For the past few years, their marriage had been strained. I’m pretty sure that at some points, it was hanging by a thread...but they managed to work it out. None of us expected them to stay together, but they did. It’s thanks to you that we’re all together, Yulia,” Dennis said, suddenly planting a kiss on the girl’s hand. Yulia didn’t protest it. At all. Her heart started beating at a rapid pace.

“The next thing that I should probably tell you is that my father has finally decided to grow up and work with you. He realizes that his actions were childish. He won’t exactly like working with you, but he realizes that freedom is more important to him than being glorified. Octo Canyon has recognized you as the hero, whether you like it or not. I know that you didn’t want to be recognized like this, but you are...at least one of them,” Dennis mumbled.

“It’s great that Octavio has finally decided to put our differences aside. Even if he does never like me, the fact that we are neutral is enough to make me happy,” Yulia grinned. “Of course I am only one of the heroes. I like to think that all of my companions that have helped me along the way, child or adult, dead or alive, are heroes. I could have never done it without you guys.”

“Yuls, that’s sweet of you, but that’s not what I meant.”

“Really? Then what  _ did _ you mean?”

“I had a dream last night, and I think it was trying to tell me something.”

Yulia looked intrigued. Maybe Dennis was having the same feeling that she was?

“The dream was more of a memory replaying in my head. It was from about two years ago, before Marina had gotten sick. It was back in Octo Canyon. There were real threats about the water levels rising, so Mama and dad were meeting with some of the commanders about finding a place to relocate in case the valley would flood. They told the kids to stay in the house, as they didn’t want us worrying. We all sat in the boys’ room, chatting. Man, this was before the younger three even matured. Sellie was only 12…

Anyway, there was one thing that Marina said that the dream kept repeating over and over. It was whenever she told us that if she would ever get to the surface, she’d come back for us. That line repeated itself until it was burned in the back of my head. I’ve never had that dream before. Marina has never been in one of my dreams. Yuls, I think she’s doing something to try and help you,” Dennis said, his eyes filled with confidence. He  _ was _ having the same feeling!

“O-Of course! Callie’s probably told her that I decided to stay and help the Octarians. She probably stepped right into action!” Yulia replied.

“Really the only thing she’d need to do is get the walls knocked down. The Inklings knew that Octo Valley was going to eventually flood, so they built the walls to make sure that whenever it did, we’d never get back to the surface! It just shows how much they hated us during the war,” Dennis shrugged.

“That was during the war, not now. You’ve taught me that. I’m sure that they’ll love you guys just as much as they love Marina,” Yulia smiled, embracing Dennis yet again.

“Our quest is almost over. I can’t believe that we’re going to be free soon! If you would have never come here to rescue Callie, we wouldn’t have even gotten this far. I don’t think my parents would have ever made up. I wouldn’t know the truth. None of us would have,” Dennis buried his head into Yulia’s shoulder.

“Whenever we do get to Inkopolis...promise me one thing, Dennis.”

“What’s that?”

“Promise me that you’ll stick around? We’ll still be friends?”

“Of course. I’ll never leave you, Yulia.”

“Neither will I.”

With that, Myrtle burst through the door, wiping sweat from her forehead with a towel that looked like it had already been drenched. “All right, you two, I just got done makin’ a real feast! You two are the skinniest people that I’ve ever met, so I’m lettin’ ya get first dibs!” She cried, grabbing Yulia’s arm with one hand and Dennis’s with the other, yanking them out of Julien’s room.

**********

The train’s condition was a little worse than Marina had thought it was, but she only had a few more parts to fiddle with. Lynn had just about finished cleaning the train up, so the few were just having a casual conversation. They had since made up from the previous argument. 

“Hey...do you remember whenever Pearlie and I went on our first tour?” Marina asked with a smile, wiping her forehead. The two were absolutely filthy. They would definitely need to clean themselves up before going to the canyon.

“I remember, all right. They originally wanted Callie and Marie to take over Inkopolis News, but they happened to be on vacation that month. Out of ideas, they resorted to Pearl’s brothers. I was working on a ping pong table whenever I saw the first segment. I almost choked on my drink,” Lynn chuckled. “I recorded all of them on my phone.”

“Of course you did, Lynn.”

“I still remember when you brought me that fake swordfish back. I take better care of that thing than I do myself,” Lynn chuckled, referring to the life-sized fiberglass swordfish that she had hanging in her house.

“I figured you would. Though, going back to Pearl and her family...I’ve just always wondered...why do you like Emperor so much? Don’t get me wrong, I one hundred percent ship it, but you two are just so...different,” Marina asked out of the blue, Lynn blushing.

“I know I’ve told you about why I first had a crush on him, but there’s a bit more to the story. I told you that I liked Emperor as a way to handle my loneliness, and that’s true, but I was actually still very young whenever I learned that I  _ did _ actually love him…” Lynn gushed.

“Aww, Lynn! Tell me about it! You never really talk about when you were young...though I don’t blame you..” Marina mumbled the last part under her breath.

“Well, on days that Papa would be especially angry, especially when he got rough with me, I would cry whenever I walked over to Pearl’s house for my lessons. If I was crying or if I looked hurt, he would do anything that he could to make me smile. He would make me happy, even if it was just for a while...even if it was just while I was at the house. Even if he could be smug or snarky, he cared about me. He didn’t want to see me sad. He did it for so many years, too… Papa started getting rough when I was around ten, and my lessons stopped whenever I was thirteen… That’s three years,” Lynn smiled, trying not to get teary eyed. Those three years were easily the worst years of her entire life, so she tended to not think about them.

“Lynn...you’ve told me about your father, but you never told me about that… That’s so sad...but it’s adorable!” Marina nearly squealed.

“At every chance I had, I wanted him to know that I appreciated what he was doing. Because I was starting to get good at wood carving, I used to make him gifts all the time. They weren’t very big, just little carvings of fish, and I doubt he kept any of them, but I do know that he kept the bear thing that I made him,” Lynn chuckled. By  _ bear thing _ , she meant the replica of an old bearskin rug that she had made him for his fourteenth birthday. He absolutely adored it and had it in his room.

“Lynn, you should really tell him the truth after we get the Octarians situated. I can’t stand seeing you stuck in the friend zone. I honestly think that if you would just tell him how you felt, he’d at at least give it a shot. You two are very different, but I think that you’d be able to set those differences aside,” Marina encouraged, Lynn smiling nervously and shrugging.

“I-I dunno, Sis… I sweat pretty badly whenever he’s even close to me. I think I’d end up messing up and grossing him out or something…” The Salmonling chuckled. “I like to think that we’re destined to be together, but I don’t know how to tell him. I honestly do feel like my soul is bound to his, but that would be weird if I said that. I just never know what to say!"

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you with that!” Marina replied.

“Thanks, Sis. I knew I could count on you,” Lynn grinned as Marina had finally finished her work on the train. “So, how many people do you think she can hold?”

“I’d say about 1200-1800. There aren’t a ton of people down in Octo Canyon, so I’m guessing that about three or four trips could get everyone to the surface. I’m sure that we could find housing for everyone, even if it is just temporary. There’s so much vacant land in Inkopolis, anyway,” replied optimistically.

“I’m sure that you’ll be able to figure it out. Even if we can’t get everyone situated right away, we have a ton of supporters. I’m sure that they’d be more than willing to help out. If I stick around, I’ll give up my cabana if I have to. I’m sure that Pearl would let me stay with her…” Lynn smiled. Marina ignored the part where she said  _ if I stick around _ .

“Well, I was hoping you’d move in with me. We both live by ourselves, and my apartment has a pull-out couch that you could sleep on. My place isn’t beside the beach, but it’s closer to the old Grizzco location, if you’d want to do anything with that. What were your plans, anyway?” Marina replied as the two slowly left the metro. As mentioned, they were going to clean off before they went down to Octo Canyon.

“Papa wanted me to sell it, but I wanted to turn it into a workshop. It has enough space for me to show off some examples of my work as well as a good place to store my tools. Working in my yard isn’t enough, I wanted to have a building. Many people have asked me if they could request things for me to make or buy some of my items, so I think that having a little shop would give people more options! L-Like a small business of sorts! Maybe I’ll take your offer. I-If things don’t work out between Emperor and me, or even if they do, I just don’t think I’m ready to live with him yet,” the Salmonling chuckled nervously.

“I think opening a shop is a great idea! I can’t see you overpricing things, that’s for sure. I know a lot of people want to get their hands on your work. Especially Pearl. How long has she been bothering you about sculpting a bust of her?”

“It’s been about seven or eight months, I believe. Whenever I open my shop, she’s going to be my first customer,” Lynn smiled, putting her arm around Marina as the two walked. It was hard to believe that not too long ago, they were fighting! It just shows that sisters don’t always have to be related by blood.

**********

Myrtle’s “feast” that she had prepared was absolutely divine, and everyone had gotten their fill for once. It was obvious that everyone in the house was in a good mood, even if they weren’t free yet. Little did they know that in a short while, they  _ would  _ be.

“So...what are you guys gonna do once we get to the promised land?” Yulia asked.

“I’m going to make things right with Octavio once and for all. We technically made up last night, but I feel as if I could do more for him. Whenever Sellie’s ready to leave, we won’t even be forty! If I’m going to grow old with him, I want to make sure that we’re both happy while we do it. Not only that, but I want to see my sister again. I want to be there for her, like I was whenever we were kids. I still want her to be my little Cal-Cal….” Shelby smiled sadly, Macario grabbing onto her arm.

“I’ll never leave you, Mama!” He cried.

“We’ll see what you say in due time, Rio,” his mother replied.

“What do you want to do, Grandma Mahi?” Giselle said, everyone turning to the elder.

“Well, I’ve honestly done everything that I want to do in life. I had a husband, I have a son and daughter-in-law, and I have beautiful grandchildren. Not only that, but I was the wife of the leader of the Octarians! Not every woman gets to have that privilege! I’ve influenced a lot of people and left my mark on them, and I hope that it was for the better. I want to watch my grandchildren grow up happy and free, develop loves of their own...and maybe even see some great-grandchildren! I understand that I’m an old woman and I won’t be here forever, so I want to live the rest of my days in peace, without worrying when the next flood will happen. I want to keep being the good example that I hope I was in my days of ruling,” Mahi smiled.

“Oh! Mahi! You still have years left in you! Though, I understand living a peaceful life. You’ve deserved peace ever since your husband died,” Shelby replied, holding her mother-in-law’s hand.

“I honestly just want to spend more time with Juno,” Finnegan, who was sitting beside his grandmother, started. “It was exhausting having to sneak out of the house to get to see her. I still can’t believe that dad hadn’t found out!  Mama, I owe you for keeping the secret so well hidden...so does Juno. I want to formally introduce her to all of you guys, too! It may be hard for dad, but I’m sure he’ll learn to love her,” Finnegan smiled. This surprised Yulia, who didn’t think that Finnegan was a very romantic person. During the meal she had explained turf wars and Ranked Battles to all of the other kids, so she expected Finnegan to be the one who’d want to reach Rank X or splat as many people as possible. Still, she thought that it was adorable.

“I’m sure your father will understand,” Yulia smiled. “If your Grandma Mahi was able to accept me and your dad getting married out of nowhere and having our first child at fifteen, it would be hypocrisy for him to scold you for having a little girlfriend at fifteen,” Shelby joked, the old woman putting an arm around her.

“Hey, I was glad! I didn’t think  _ anyone _ would want him!” Mahi joked back. “Speaking of which, where is that son of mine? I thought that he decided to work with the Inkling.”

“He said that he had some stuff to tear down before he started working toward freedom. He wants to try to salvage as much as his equipment as possible. I know that he wants to start getting back into music whenever he reaches the surface,” Shelby replied. “Well, Rio, I think it’s your turn!”

“I already said what I want to do, Mama. I want to stay at home with you. I was a hard child to raise, and I’d feel wrong just leaving you! I don’t want to leave you alone with dad! I don’t need to get married or have kids, I have siblings that can do that. I’m fine with being Uncle Rio! Don’t worry, Mama! I’ll get a job! I’ll support you!” Macario cried. Shelby gently kissed his forehead.

“My sweet, precious boy...if you still feel like that whenever you are an adult, I won’t stop you. Though, I’m sure that when you’re an adult, you’ll be ready to leave the nest. Besides, you were by no means my hardest child to raise” Shelby smiled, Macario shaking his head as he held his mother’s hands tightly. Somewhere in Inkopolis, Marina sneezed.

“I’m going to get some powerful friends and start a League. I want to make my dad proud and reach Rank X, like Yulia was talking about last night,” Dennis said. Of course.  _ He _ was the one that wanted to engage in combat. “I’m a long way from fully maturing. I think that slowly making my way to the top would be a good way for me to get over my emotional problems. The Inklings seem very strong, and I want to show them that I’m strong, too,” the Octoling boy smiled.

“I’m with Den on this one! I want to do turf wars! I want to experiment with different weapons, just like dad’s commanders! Not only that, but I want to learn more about cars! We don’t have them down here, but I’ve always been interested in them. I guess I want to be a mechanic or something…” Giselle muttered.

“I could see you being a mechanic, Sellie. You’d probably be the best one, too!” Macario said happily. “I think that you’ll find a lot of friends and get really strong, Den!” Finnegan smiled.

“I don’t know what I want to do, honestly,” Marlene said. “I don’t have a degree or anything, but I did get a lot of training in nursing down here. We won’t exactly have the money to get me to school, but I think that I’d be able to make a decent amount running a home clinic or something.”

“Oh, Mrs. Marlene! You’re a very talented woman who knows what you’re doing. I’m sure that if you told them your story, they’d understand completely!” Yulia smiled. “We’re always in need of a good medical team.”

“I-I just want to try to make some friends. Male friends. I’ve been stuck with a bunch of women my entire life! As much as I love the ladies and all, I need to have some guys in my life that I can talk to about the ladies! I-I just don’t know how to talk to other guys, is all,” Julien blushed.

“Don’t worry, Julien! I’m  _ great _ with guys. I’ll introduce you to a few of my coworkers. I’m sure that they’d take you under their wing,” Yulia said with a certain gleam in her eye.

“Lincoln and I were talking, and we don’t really know what we’re going to do, either,” Mr. Morgan shrugged, speaking for both of the men. “Octavio probably won’t need commanders, so we’re out of a job. We don’t really have any specific skills.”

“Well,” Yulia replied optimistically, “I’m sure that people would understand. One of my friends, Lynn, is a very generous person. Until you two get stable jobs, I’m sure that she’d financially support you the best that she could.”

“You think she’d really do that?”

“Of course. She’d love to,” the Inkling smiled.

“Don’t worry, dad! I’ll get a job to try and help the family out as much as I can!” Giana said boldly. “I may not like doing it, but I can clean people’s houses! After all, I’ve done it for years!” It was true that Giana was the one who did most of the cleaning, and she did it pretty well. “Or I can get a job at that convenience store that Yulia was talking about before! The...the one that she wanted Chyna to work at!”

“Giana, as much as I appreciate your eagerness, you’re fifteen. You’re not going to be a child forever. If you want to work, I’m not going to stop you...I just don’t want you working yourself  _ too hard, _ ” Mr. Morgan replied, putting an arm around his daughter. “You’re the only kid I have, y’know.”

“I know, dad… I know. What are you going to do, mom?”

“Well, I was trained in a certain field, much like Marlene, except mine was pretty much useless down here. In an age of technology, I think going into computer repair is down my lane. Even if we just have to turn our new home into a family-run shop until I can get a good place, I’m fine with that. I could fix pretty much anything you could think of,” Darlene said with her hands on her hips. She didn’t want to brag or anything, but she  _ was _ pretty darn good at what she did, even if it had no practical use in Octo Canyon. That only left one person, and anyone with common sense could figure out what  _ she _ was going to do.

“You don’t even have to tell us, Myrtle,” Yulia chuckled. “I assure you that with your passion for cooking and your... _ bold _ personality, you could take over any restaurant in Inkopolis in a matter of weeks,” the Inkling teased.

“You bet I’m startin’ my own place! Back before the war, my great-grandmamma used to own a restaurant! She made her way to the city all the way from those Islands over yonder and never looked back! Teuila’s Island Kick it was called! Great-grandmamma passed it to grandmamma...but of course, grandmamma lost it in the war. Imma pay respect to my great-grandmamma Teuila by bringin’ it back! Before my mamma died, she passed down a copy of all of the recipes. I’m gonna make them exactly as she did! I’m not lettin’ her legacy die!” The Octoling said triumphantly. Well, that proved two things about Myrtle. One is that she was at least the  _ descendant _ of an Islander, which was something that Yulia had suspected ever since she met her. The second was that the love for cooking  ran in the family. 

“Myrtle, you’re gonna be the richest woman in all of Inkopolis! You could start a chain if you wanted to! There wouldn’t be any restaurant like yours!” Julien said excitedly.

“Nah, I don’t want any of that stuff. All great-grandmamma Teuila wanted was a li’l place where she could cook for people and make ‘em happy. She didn’t do it to get rich, and I don’t wanna do it to get rich, either. Food runs strong in my family, and I ain’t about to break the tradition. I expect to see each and every one of you at my place when it opens, especially you two skinny thangs,” Myrtle pointed at Yulia and Dennis as she said this.

“Well, Yuls, you’ve heard what we’re going to do. What are your plans whenever you get back home?” Dennis asked.

“The first thing she’s doing is quitting that no good job of hers and telling her boss of, even if Julien and I have to make her,” Giana crossed her arms, her cousin nodding. “She’s gonna work Ranked Battle waiting rooms like she was meant to!” Julien butted in.

“W-Well, yeah, I’m gonna do that,” Yulia chuckled nervously, “but other than that, I don’t have a lot in mind. I just want to spend a lot of time with my friends and let them know how important they are to me. Being down here has made me realize that anything could happen. In the blink of an eye, everything could change. I have people that I want to let know how much I love them. I have people that I need to apologize to…” Yulia smiled, chuckling nervously. With that, the discussions continued. No one knew of what was to come.

**********

Lynn and Marina had both cleaned themselves up and put on some casual clothing, Pearl joining them. The Sisterhood had gathered, and they were on their way to the subway. Lynn had written to the chief and told him that it was okay to send Yulia's parents back. She wanted Yulia to be welcomed back into Inkopolis with open arms. She wanted conditions to be ideal.

“Aight, so what’s the game plan, y’all?” Pearl asked as the three made their way to the metro. Lynn was oddly nervous about leaving Tavi in the cabana by himself. He was a very independent old man, so she didn’t know why she was so afraid.

“Well, I’m going to drive the train up to the wall, and Lynn’s going to make a hole big enough for you to fit through,” Marina said, turning to Lynn, who held her sledgehammer in one hand and her oar in the other. “Afterward, Pearlie, you’re going to go and get Yulia while Lynn knocks the rest of the wall down. When the wall’s knocked down, I’ll drive the train through. Lynn will go and find my Grandma Mahi, as my grandfather requested. As for me, once I get out of the train, I’m going to round up my siblings and try to convince them not to kill me. Once the four of us are back together, we’ll go to my dad and explain the situation. I’m sure Yulia has somehow convinced him to work with her,” Marina explained, seeming even more nervous than Lynn.

“If someone told me that one day, I’d be walking with two celebrities and going to free the Octarian race, I probably would have hurt myself laughing so hard…” Lynn mumbled nervously, the sledgehammer trembling in her hand.

“Yeah, Lynn. Now you actually have  _ productive  _ things to do instead of writing about my brother’s butt in your diary. If he doesn’t see you as worthy after he sees the chief dude crowning you as a hero, he’s not worth it,” Pearl teased. Lynn’s face went red.

“My diary’s written in the Island language, Pearl! How the hell did you kn...How did you translate it?!” Lynn asked. I’m not  _ denying _ that she wrote about Emperor’s butt…

“One of my dad’s friends is from the Islands. I know all of your deep, dark secrets, Leimomi..” Pearl replied, putting her arm around the nervous, sweaty Salmonling.  _ “Oh, how I wish that he would bring me into those strong arms of his. Oh, he’s so tall, so handsome! He tries to tease me, to seduce me, and he does it so well! I I want him to lean over me, kiss my neck, and tell me to touch him...tell me to trust him...”  _ The Inkling whispered into her ear.

“Sis! Control her!” Lynn cried, pointing at Pearl, who was laughing maniacally. “I tried to do that years ago. It just makes her stronger,” Marina teased. Eventually, the three got to the train.

“Where are you two going to sit?” Marina asked, making her way to her position.

“I’m sitting in the back! If you have some kind of head-on collision, I’m not gonna be the one to die,” Pearl said, making her way to the last car.

“I’m going to sit in the middle. That way I’ll be safe from crashes from the front  _ and _ back,” Lynn said. Pearl must have decided that it was a good idea, as she quickly made her way beside the Salmonling. Marina just rolled her eyes.

“Nice to see how much faith my two best friends have in me,” Marina said sarcastically, working on getting the train started up. 

“You nervous about this?” Pearl asked Lynn, who was fiddling with the handle of her sledgehammer. Lynn was sweating pretty badly, but Pearl wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or the mention of her brother.

“K-Kinda… I just don’t know what people are gonna think of me, Pearl. I doubt any of the young people have seen a Salmonling before. If they have, they probably haven’t seen an ugly one…” Lynn mumbled. If Marina would have heard her over the engine of the train, she probably would have left her seat to go and slap Lynn.

“C’mon, Lynn, the only time I’ve ever seen you and thought  _ hot damn, she’s hideous _ is whenever you were crying and blowing your nose on Emperor’s old shirt,” Pearl replied.

“Pearl, I had just buried my mother!”

“Exactly, Lynn.”

Suddenly, the train jerked forward and came to a sudden stop, knocking both the Inkling and the Salmonling out of their seats.

“Sorry!” Marina cried sheepishly from her seat. She gave the two girls a few minutes to get themselves situated once more before heading off for good this time. 

“Are you nervous, Pearl?” Lynn asked as Marina drove off. To get to Octo Canyon from Inkopolis was probably five minutes by train, but still, they didn’t want the Octarians walking that distance.

“I wouldn’t say I’m nervous, since Yuls paved the way for me. I just really want to see her again, is all. I hope she’s doing all right. I hope she was able to make some friends. She has us, sure, but the kid’s really lonely, y’know. It’s not often that I care about people who aren’t in my immediate family, but even I can make exceptions. My Li’l Yuls is one of ‘em,” Pearl said in a rather serious tone, which took Lynn off guard. She had expected Pearl to puff out her chest and say that she’d get in a fist fight with anyone who even dared to  _ look _ at her funny.

“I’m sure that she misses you, too. I’m sorry, Pearl, I just didn’t expect you to be so serious, is all,” Lynn smiled sheepishly.

“Hey, it’s all right. Usually I’m not serious like this. Though...while we’re bein’ serious and Rina can’t hear us... I know that I make a lot of jokes about you and my brother, but I honestly wouldn’t mind havin’ you as a sister-in-law. There’s not a lot of people that Emp actually  _ likes, _ but you’re one of ‘em. All of that stuff that he did for you as a kid wasn’t for nothin’,” Pearl said, patting Lynn’s back. “I think that you two could really make it happen. Just imagine me waking up at three in the morning, walk past Emp’s room, and all I can hear is you two romping around and mak-”

“P-Pearl, that’s enough! B-But...does he still have all of the stuff that I made him? I-I wouldn’t care if he threw them away, considering that I wasn’t very good at the time, but-”

“He still has all of them. He displays some of them on the back of his shelf, but he has them,” Pearl smiled. Lynn’s face lit up in excitement.

“Has...your dad ever said anything about me?”

“Honestly, Lynn, I dunno why you even worry about him anymore. He realizes that what he said was really rude, he just doesn’t know you very well. After we get this whole Octarian thing situated and you’re the apple of the chief’s eye, you two really need to sit down and have an actual conversation. You can’t be afraid of him forever...especially if you're going to be marrying his son and inheriting his real estate business,” Pearl replied. 

Within a few minutes, the two girls felt the train stop. Marina quickly came out, her hands on her hips triumphantly. “How’s that driving for ya? I told you I could do it!”

“You knocked us over at the beginning, but other than that, you did pretty well,” Pearl joked. Lynn, knowing what she had to do, grabbed her sledgehammer, giving Marina her oar to hold onto for safekeeping.

“C’mon, Lynn, you can do this. You’ve knocked down thicker walls than this. You can do anything if you put your mind into it. Pretend you’re hitting your dad or something…” Marina said as Lynn got off the train, getting closer to the wall. She looked nervous to be knocking down  _ yet another _ wall, but Pearl and Marina just needed to give her a little pep talk...that’s it!

“No matter what he has done to me, I cannot hate him. I will not pretend that it is Papa. I will look at it as it truly is; a wall blocking an entire race from freedom. I-I’ve fought so hard for this freedom! I’m not going to let a stupid wall ruin all of our work!” Lynn cried. With that, she lifted her hammer above her head and swung.

Knocking the previous wall down had given Lynn a bit more muscle, and since this wall was noticeably thinner than the one blocking the entrance to Inkopolis, Lynn had knocked one of the stones out on her first swing.

“That...felt kinda nice,” Lynn smiled, taking a much harder swing this time. It had knocked more of the stones out. There was still a ton of wall left, as Lynn had to destroy the wall blocking both the entrance and exit tunnels, but there was enough room for Pearl to slip through and find Yulia. As Pearl turned into her squid form, Lynn tossed her through the opening, where she landed less than gracefully, but that didn’t matter. She was in.

The first thing that Pearl noticed was that there were several Octarians looking at her. She had expected them to be freaked out, but they looked...fine.

“Uhh...yo! I’m workin’ with that blue kid that’s been wreaking havoc around here! I know what you’re thinking... _ how the hell did she just get through that wall?! _ Well, my buddy Lynn here is workin’ on knockin’ the wall down! We’re here to save your butts!” Pearl yelled excitedly, Lynn waving to the Octarians through the rocks.

“You’re with Yulia?” One of the Octarians asked, pronouncing her name slightly wrong, but Pearl understood what they meant. “Yeah, I’m here with her. Do any of you guys know where she’s at? I really need to see her,” Pearl replied.

“She’s at the Briney house!” A young woman replied. “I saw her whenever I took my son for a checkup. I can take you there!”

“Aight, that would be great!” Pearl cried excitedly, following the young woman.

**********

Back in the Briney household, Yulia was minding her own business. All of the companions had gone home. Yulia and the family were having a discussion about the best weapons to theoretically use during a turf war whenever she heard a knock on the door.

“Julien, do you mind getting that? I honestly don’t know who it could be. I don’t have any patients scheduled for today,” Marlene mumbled, Julien getting up and answering the door.

“Yo, yo, yo, is Yulia here?” Was all Yulia heard before she recognized who it was.

“PEARL!” Yulia cried, Julien standing aside as Pearl rushed into the house. The two girls lunged at each other, embracing so hard that the entire house could hear their bodies slapping together.

“THIS is who she has a crush on?” Giana whispered into her cousin’s ear.

“P-Pearl...how did you get here?” Yulia asked as Pearl covered her face in kisses, not letting go.

“Lynn busted the wall. Rina’s in the train. Y’all are gonna be free!” Pearl said as she turned to the Octarians. The children looked absolutely shocked. The adults tried to hide their surprise, but still looked amazed.

“Wait...there’s going to be a train coming to pick us up?” Julien asked, obviously amazed. “Someone broke down the wall?” Giana added.

“Well, she’s in the process of doin’ it, but yeah. We should get you guys into the city by the end of the day. Don’t worry about gettin’ kicked out, either. We’ve got that all settled with those schmancy-pants government folks,” Pearl replied, Yulia tightening her grip on her.

“Oh, Pearl! You’re amazing! You all are!” Yulia cried.

“I know, I know…” Pearl chuckled, eyeing up the leftover food. “Now, if ya don’t mind, I’m starving.”

Whenever Pearl had finished eating, she and Yulia had decided to go to the wall to check on Lynn’s progress. Neither of them knew how to get to the wall by heart, but they weren’t really in a hurry, as they figured that it would take Lynn a while to even get the first half of it destroyed. They walked, arm in arm, taking their sweet time.

“Well...how was your little expedition?” Pearl asked, chuckling. “It seems that the Octolings like you.”

“It...it had its ups and downs. I was forced to fight a samurai where I almost lost my head and nearly got turned into calamari, got really sick, got slapped across the face by Marina’s dad, and one of my companions died, but other than that, it was pretty okay,” Yulia smiled, Pearl’s eyes widening.

“YOU got stuck in a fight, Yuls?! What’d you do, seduce him? Flip your skirt up or something?  _ ‘O-Oh, Mr. Samurai, you’re so strong! It’s a shame that you don’t put all of that strength to better use!’ _ ” Pearl teased, ruffling Yulia’s hair.

“I wish it would have went that way. It would’ve hurt a lot less...though, if I hadn’t been nearly shredded like cabbage, I wouldn’t have met some of my closest friends and companions, so I guess it has its benefits,” Yulia smiled. “What were you guys up to when I was gone? I hope that Marina isn’t still mad at me. I was wrong to get so upset with her, I know she was just trying to protect me. Look what happened! I did the exact thing that she was expecting!” Yulia gushed, rubbing the back of her head nervously.

“Rina was fine with it, it was Lynn who was the nervous wreck. Though, to be fair, Lynn went through a lot while you were gone. She had a meltdown in front of Callie whenever she heard that you decided to stay,” Pearl chuckled.

“Not to ignore Lynn’s situation, but Callie kissed me, Pearl! It was honestly one of the best feelings that I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Yulia gushed, Pearl chuckling and ruffling her hair.

“Looks like Li’l Yuls found herself another Sugar Mama,” Pearl replied, Yulia blushing and smiling. “I-I guess,” Yulia stuttered. “Anyway...what’s happened to Lynn? Is she okay? Lynn isn’t someone who usually has a meltdown.”

“Well, she was goin’ through a lot of stress. Do you remember that rumor of the old man in the woods that Lynn was obsessed with finding? Well, she found him and decided to take him in. Turns out that he was Marina’s grandpa,” Pearl explained.

“Wait...but...he was assassinated!” Yulia replied.

“That’s what they thought. According to what he told us, he escaped just before his funeral. Anyway, Lynn was pretty concerned about him, and on top of that, she was working pretty hard on knocking down the wall. Then, in the middle of it, she met up with her mom.”

“Really?” Yulia asked. Her mind went back to the woman that she had met whenever she was telling Scrap about her adventure. She was apparently telling the truth. “Why would that stress her out?”

“Well, her mom was dying and knew that she didn’t have a lot of time left. Her mom suggested that Lynn make her coffin, so she did. It was around that time where I figured that I should join the team and help out with your plan. Whenever Lynn’s mom was going to die, she told Lynn to go back to the Islands. This hit her pretty hard, since she wanted to make her mom proud...and then the next day, Grizzco closed. You’re out of a job, Yuls,” Pearl explained.

“Well, that’s all right. I told my friends about what Mr. Grizz did to people, and they were going to make me quit. But... _ why _ did Grizzco close? It was doing so well! What’s happened to Mr. Grizz?”

“Apparently it closed because Lynn’s mom told the cops what Grizz was doing to y’all. He didn’t want to go to court, so he closed up shop and gave it to Lynn. From what Lynn said, he wanted to reopen somewhere else.”

“Well, at least I can work waiting rooms...but now Lynn’s lost both of her parents. I was never abused, so I’ll never know how  _ she _ feels, but now she knows how  _ I _ feel…” Yulia mumbled.

“Y-Yeah…” Pearl responded. She wanted Yulia to be surprised whenever her parents came back from the western Islands, so she didn’t say anything to the blue Inkling.

Eventually, Pearl and Yulia reached the wall, where some of the Octolings were watching in awe as Lynn used her trusty hammer to knock down the rocks, which the Octolings helped move out of the way. Being unarmed, they didn’t have any way to help her with the actual destruction, so they figured that they would at least  _ try _ to help. Eventually, Lynn had cleared the entrance tunnel, so there was enough room for Marina to drive the train through.

“All right, everyone stand back! We’re pullin’ the train through!” Lynn cried as she backed all of the Octolings up. Once everyone was safely to the side, she gave Marina a thumbs-up, and within seconds, the train slowly creeped through the tunnel. Once it stopped, Marina excitedly jumped out, running toward Yulia and giving her a bear hug.

“Marina! I-It’s so good to see you again!” Yulia smiled as Lynn wiped sweat from her forehead, the Octolings sitting her down and going to get her some water. “I just want to tell you that I’m sorry… You tried to warn me that I’d grow attached to the Octarians, but I refused to believe you...and look where we are now!”

“I can’t be mad at you after what you’ve done for the Octarians! If you didn’t come down here, Lynn and I would have never gotten through with our plan! I would have never found my grandpa!” Marina giggled, letting Yulia go as the Inkling then went over to Lynn, who was still trying to manage her sweating problem.

“You’ve been working very hard, Lynn. Pearl’s told me what you’ve went through. I really appreciate it,” Yulia smiled, not hugging the Salmonling, as she didn’t want to get all sweaty. Eventually, the Octolings came back with a jug of water.

“Sis, I’m gonna turn into my Salmonid form. I want you to drop me into the jug,” Lynn said, Marina nodding. With that, Lynn had disappeared, and a small, chubby Salmonid replaced her. She looked exactly like a Smallfry, except her hair was purple...and she didn’t have teeth!

“Oh, look at how CUTE she is!” One of the Octolings gushed as the little group, all of whom had never seen a Salmonid before, gathered around her. Much to Marina’s amusement, the little group passed her around, Lynn sighing as she accepted her fate. Whenever the Octolings finally handed Lynn to Marina, she playfully tickled Lynn’s little face, causing the Smallfry to bite her finger. Since this form of Lynn didn’t have any teeth, it didn’t hurt. At all.

“All right, we’ve tortured her enough. We’ll give her a few minutes to hydrate herself before we finish knocking the wall down,” Marina said, plopping the tiny Salmonid into the jug. “She can swim?” One of the Octolings asked.

“Her species can swim very well! They can even breathe underwater!” Yulia replied, the little group, which had lived their lives pretty isolated, seemed very surprised. Suddenly, they heard a voice.

“All right, what are y’all doin’ here?” Octavio asked, the group backing up and protecting Lynn’s jug as the Octarian leader came into sight. Upon seeing Pearl and Yulia, he seemed confused, but whenever he saw Marina, he jumped. Marina jumped at the same time.

“Y-You…” Octavio said, crossing his arms, looking down at his oldest child.

“H-Hi, dad…” Marina stuttered, Pearl’s eyes widening. “Yo, Rina! THAT’S your dad?” The Inkling asked, Octavio walking closer to her.

“How the hell did you-?” He asked, then turned to Yulia. “How the hell did she become friends with the likes of YOU?!”

Marina walked toward Octavio, but he backed away, almost as if he didn’t want her to touch him. “Dad...what’s wrong?” She asked.

“Go ahead, tell me off. Tell me off for how much I’ve wronged you. Tell me off for making you fake your own death. Your brother’s already told me off for being a lousy-ass father, I think I can take it,” Octavio said calmly. Yulia looked the most surprised out of all of them. Apparently talking with his family had softened Octavio up a bit. Dennis had shown him the truth. Yulia remembered Shelby talking about how whenever Marina was sick, Octavio had constantly scolded her and didn’t have a huge reaction to her death. 

Instead of yelling at Octavio, Marina ran up to him, hugging him as tightly as he could. “Dad...you’re the reason I ran away, but it’s not the reason that you think. I don’t blame you for getting mad at me. Just...whenever you did that concert with the Squid Sisters, there was something inside of me that just changed! I realized that my calling wasn’t down here, it was up in Inkopolis! I knew that if I tried hard enough, I could save you guys! I understand if you’re mad at me,” Marina said, still holding onto her dad. Yulia and Pearl held onto each other rather tightly, not knowing what Octavio was going to say.

“Your...your brother tried to murder me. If I can forgive him, I think I can forgive you for lacking common sense,” Octavio mumbled, finally hugging Marina back. Yulia was surprised with how much Octavio had changed, even though it had only been a few days. If he hadn’t changed, he probably would have sent Marina off...but he was forgiving her! Yulia was filled with a warm, loving sensation. Even if Octavio would never grow fond of  _ her, _ he still cared for his family.

“I just came to see this train that everyone was screamin’ about. I didn’t know that you’d be behind it,” Octavio said as the Octolings pulled Lynn out of the water, letting her turn back into her humanoid form. “S-Sir...we’re all working together! While I was down here, these three were getting support from the Inklings!” Yulia cried happily, getting Octavio’s attention.

“That’s Marina, conquering governments,” Octavio teased, letting Marina go as he looked at Lynn, raising a brow. “What the HELL are you?” He asked.

“I get that a lot,” Lynn replied, shrugging. “Island native.”

“Aight, whatever,” Octavio said. “Anyway, I promised your mother that I wouldn’t take long. Do you want me to tell them or do you wanna keep it a secret?”

“I’d really appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell them. I want to surprise them,” Marina replied with a smile.

“No problem.”

“I...I love you, dad..” Marina smiled. Octavio didn’t say anything, but he smiled, which Marina immediately knew was his way of saying that he loved her, too.

“I...I didn’t expect him to react so calmly! I thought he would have flipped out on me or something!” Marina cried excitedly. Lynn, who looked flustered and almost sad, quickly went back to work on the wall, not really saying anything. “You must have really been able to change him, Yulia.”

“It wasn’t me who was able to change him. If you want to thank anyone, thank your mother and sister. I’m not scolding you, Marina, but your mother took your death very roughly. She spent two years mourning you. According to what your siblings told me, she ceased loving. Everyone thought that your parents were going to separate. Though, it’s not your fault. It’s no one’s fault, I just don’t think that your mother was prepared to lose a child. I think she was just traumatized after losing two babies…” Yulia smiled, putting a hand on Marina’s shoulders.

“I should have known! Mama is a glass cannon! She’s a very influential person and can change a lot of minds, but she’s a pretty unstable person. Having to raise five kids at once really took its toll on her, but she never complained, no matter how tired she was. We always understood growing up that when Mama was sleeping, it was your time to shut up. We kept her working around the clock, and I think that we played a huge role in making her the way she was. I understand why she’d overreact so much and get so upset, even if it does make me really sad. But...how did she change my dad? How does Sellie play into this?”

“It was your sister’s idea to bring me to your mother. Together, we were able to pull her out of this grief. She was the one who reunited your family. She learned that she could still live, even if you weren’t in her life.”

“Gosh… I feel so bad! As soon as she gets over me, I suddenly pop back into her life like nothing ever happened!”

“I’m sure she’d take you right back, though,” Yulia smiled, dodging as one of the rocks nearly whacked her. Lynn was going haywire on this wall, obviously fueled by her emotions. There was just something about seeing fathers being positive and loving toward their children that sparked...anger in her. Well, it was less anger and more jealousy.

“Lynn, baby, calm down! We’re not in a rush!” Marina cried.

“I know, Sis… There was just something about seeing you with your dad like that that just hit me. It just made me sad, is all. I just kinda wish that I had a better family life. I don’t want to ruin your moment, though. Just ignore me,” Lynn smiled, going a bit easier on the wall, as she didn’t want to burn herself out again. 

“Well, I think that I should break the news to my family. Yuls, do you know where they live? I-I’ve never been here before,” Marina chuckled nervously. Luckily, Yulia knew how to get to the Ida household by now. Pearl had decided to stay with Lynn and try to help out as much as she could.

 


	13. Chapter 13

“I really hope that my folks won’t be upset with me. Just because my dad was okay with me doesn’t mean that the rest of them will be! I hurt them, and I don’t know if they’d be willing to forgive me…” Marina mumbled to Yulia as the two girls walked toward the Ida household. What if one of my siblings tries to punch me out or something? What if Mama has a heart attack?”

“I’m sure that the rest of your family will be elated, Marina. They’re not angry with you, they just miss you. Your siblings have told me about the promise that you made them, and they just had a bit of trouble understanding why you weren’t coming back for them. I told them to be patient, and I think that they’ve listened to me,” Yulia replied, smiling gently. 

“Gosh, they still remember that? I-I think about them every single day. I won’t even be able to  _ recognize _ Rio, Finny, and Sellie! They weren’t even matured whenever I left! Well, I’m going to show them that I keep my promises. I told them that I would,” the Octoling replied with a little smile. “You, Lynn, Pearlie, and I have all worked so hard for this, and I can’t back down now. Like I told Lynn earlier in our quest, I feel as if this is my life’s calling. I was meant to live on the surface and free my race from this darkness that they’ve lived in for so long! I know that I couldn’t have done it without you guys, though. Four is better than one,” Marina teased, Yulia smiling.

“Though, if we do see Grandma Mahi, I’d really like it if you wouldn’t say anything about my grandpa to her. He’s really close with Lynn, and he wants  _ her _ to be the one that tells her that he’s alive. Just kinda play it cool, okay?” Marina asked.

“Sure thing. Mahi has her own house, so I don’t think that she’d be there. Even if she was, I wouldn’t tell her,” Yulia replied.

Finally, the two reached the Ida household. Marina seemed pretty surprised. “This is where my family lives? Not to brag or anything, considering it honestly wasn’t  _ that _ impressive, but in Octo Canyon, we had an entire mansion! No wonder Grandma Mahi has her own house! I don’t think they’d be able to  _ fit _ her in here!” 

“You’d be surprised how the Octarians are able to squeeze into little houses like these. It’s really made me realize all of the unnecessary rooms that my family’s house had. I mean, we had an entire library! An entire room dedicated to fish tanks! I remember my parents still being around and paying Lynn a  _ lot _ of money to go and clean them all. She never complained. Man, Marina, just imagine how happy Pooky would be in those tanks! Oh, how  _ is _ my little guy?” Yulia asked.

“He’s doing just fine, Yuls. Pearl’s been feeding him and Lynn took him for swims whenever she wasn’t terribly busy. He seems to be growing a bit, too. Nothing drastic, though,” Marina smiled as she and Yulia approached the door. Marina was noticeably nervous. Her hands were trembling.

“Marina, don’t worry. It’s fine,” Yulia said, knocking on the door. There was the familiar clamor of the children, deciding which one was going to get the door. Eventually, Octavio nominated Dennis to go get it, knowing exactly who it was. Surprisingly, Shelby didn’t say anything, if she was even there.

Slowly, Dennis got up off of the couch, making his way to the door. Whenever he saw Yulia, he smiled, but his expression turned to one of shock whenever he saw his older sister standing at the door.

“Hey, Den…” Marina mumbled, Dennis speechless! Was he dreaming? He had to be! There was no way that it could be Marina!

“Who is it, Dennis?” Finnegan asked from inside the house.

“O-Oh my God…” Dennis mumbled, moving aside so the two could come in the house. Like Dennis, the other three Ida children were shocked. They didn’t know what to do! Octavio, who thought that it was pretty damn funny, tried to hide the fact that he was laughing, so he went to pester his wife, who was in their bedroom.

Giselle, who was overwhelmed by her emotions, was the first one to actually react. The usually rough, tough child burst into tears! As she did this, she ran over to Marina, nearly tackling her. “You DID come back for us! All of those years that I hated you! I’m sorry, Rina! I’m so sorry!”

“Sellie! It’s all right! Don’t cry!” Marina laughed, putting her hands on either side of her little sister’s face, making her look up at her. “Look at how old you are! Look at how pretty you’ve gotten!”

“T-Thanks… I’m nothing like Mama, though…” Giselle gushed, obviously a bit embarrassed.

“I don’t think that  _ anyone _ will ever be as pretty as Mama…” Marina smiled.

Giselle finally letting go, Marina moved over to the twins, her eyes lighting up as she saw them. “Finny, is that you?” She asked, looking to the magenta-haired boy who was obviously trying to hide his tears.

“I-I’m not always like this! I usually take  _ real _ good care of Rio, just like you asked me to! I-I have allergies!” Finnegan sniffled, giving into his sister’s embrace.

“As for you, Rio,” Marina chuckled, now hugging  _ him, _ “I swear that you’ve had that same face ever since you were born! You’re going to be thirty and have a baby face!”

The shy Macario didn’t really say anything, just giving a small chuckle. His dark eyes were watering, which made him look even cuter. Finally, Marina turned to Dennis, who was still standing in the corner.

“All right, champ. First of all, last time I saw you, I was taller than you, but it looks like that ain’t happenin’. Second of all, Callie told me that you assisted Yulia in saving her?”

“Dennis was a really big help, Marina! Without him, I would have never saved Callie! I would have never been able to get where I am now! I surely would have been killed,” Yulia smiled, taking the flustered boy’s arm.

“I tried to kill dad…” Dennis mumbled under his breath. Marina, pretending that she didn’t hear that, nearly brought her brother to the ground, much like when Giselle had hugged her. “I raised you right, Den. You’re an eligible bachelor,” she chuckled, Dennis blushing. “Hey, you’re only a year older than me,” Dennis replied.

“Speaking of  _ raising _ , where’s Mama? Surely she would have come out of her room by now,” Rio, always thinking of his mother, said. “Does she not want to see you or something, Rina?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s probably pretty angry,” Marina replied. Giselle decided to go into her parents’ room, peeking in.

“Dad...she’s ready to see Mama now,” the girl whispered, Octavio nodding and leaving the room. “Your mother’s in there. She’s waitin’ for ya,” Octavio said, standing aside and giving Marina a decent amount of room, as it was obvious that she was pretty nervous again. Slowly, she walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Shelby was sitting on her favorite chair, holding a blanket in her hands that Marina immediately recognized. It was her favorite blanket whenever she was a child. It was one that she had possessed ever since she was born. It was the blanket that she was wrapped in whenever her grandfather was stabbed. It still had his blood on it.

“M-Mama…” Marina muttered, taking a step closer to her mother. Shelby was trembling. Her breathing was a bit funny, too.

“W-What you did was idiotic…” Shelby muttered.

“I know…” Marina replied gloomily.

“You really hurt a lot of people…”

“I know…”

“However, I have no right to call you out on it. I have done the same thing…” Shelby stood up as she said this, but she gave out, just falling to her knees as she wiped her eyes with the blanket.

“Oh, Mama!” Marina cried, rushing to her mother’s side. Marina brought her weeping mother into a warm embrace, shushing her, just like Shelby had done to her all throughout her childhood.

“W-Whenever I thought you died… I realized how my mother felt, and I realized that a parent should  _ never _ have to feel that way. Luckily, your siblings had each other, but little Cal-Cal did not share that fate. I left her by herself! I wasn’t there to protect her like I should have been!” Shelby cried.

“Mama… This is when you make things  _ right _ with Grandma Mareanie and Grandpa Albert! Whenever they saw me for the first time, they saw that you were alive! That made them so happy! They’re not angry with you. They still love you just as much as they did before you left. The same thing applies to Callie! She still sees you as her big sister and role model. Even if you couldn’t be there for her then, you can be there for her whenever we get back to Inkopolis!” Marina cried optimistically, holding her mother closer.

“I-I was just ashamed of myself whenever I heard that you weren’t actually dead. I felt as if I had passed on a bad gene or something…” Shelby sobbed.

“Genes has nothing to do with this, silly! We were both listening to our hearts, that’s all! We both felt like we were being pushed away, so we left. If you didn’t listen to your heart, Mama, you would have never met dad! None of us would have ever been born! If I didn’t listen to mine, my friends and I wouldn’t have given the Octarians the chance to be free!”

“I-I suppose you’re right, Rina. You were always the one that was able to talk sense into me…”

“Now and forever, Mama,” Marina smiled, gently kissing her mother’s forehead. “Now, can we get off the floor? It’s cold,” she giggled. 

Finally, Marina and Shelby walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. Minus Mahi, who was doing just fine at her own house, the Ida family was  _ truly _ complete! Shelby had all of her children under one roof again! The feeling was indescribable. It made Yulia’s heart melt. Even though she didn’t have her own parents with her, seeing other families share happy moments was enough for her. Now, Marina didn’t have to worry about her family anymore. They were with her, and they weren’t going anywhere. Everyone in the house was absolutely elated. The day couldn’t get any better!

“I’m going to get one of my friends. She has a very important message for Grandma Mahi. I’m going to need you guys to bring her over here, okay?” Marina smiled. The younger three agreed to go and fetch their grandmother while Marina and Yulia went back to the wall to fetch Lynn and Pearl. Shelby had decided to go with them.

“What exactly does this friend of yours have to tell Grandma Mahi? She doesn’t even know her!” Shelby asked. Marina just looked at Yulia, letting out a nervous chuckle as the three of them stopped. She really hoped that her mother didn’t have another breakdown…

Marina pulled out her phone, quickly opening her photos and scrolling for a bit until she found one. She gave the phone to her mother, letting her see the picture of Tavi. He was sitting in Lynn’s cabana, a gentle smile on his face as he ate some kind of meal that Lynn had prepared him. Yulia also looked at the picture. Her heart skipped about six beats. He was an adorable man, but he...he was the old man that she had saw at the Salmonid Smokeyard! That was his face! 

“O-Oh my God… I-Is that…?” Shelby asked, her eyes widening. “How did he…? Where did you…?

“Well, back in Inkopolis, there was this rumor going around that an old man lived in the woods, and my best friend, Lynn, became obsessed with trying to find him. I constantly tried to yell at her for going into the woods by herself, but then she found Grandpa Tavi… He had been living in the woods for eighteen years.”

“That matches up with the timeline of when he was assassinated…”

“Lynn said that he showed her his stab wound, Mama. It has to be Grandpa Tavi!”

“I’m not doubting that it is… I guess our family is just prone to having people fake their own deaths,” Shelby teased, Marina holding onto her arm as the three walked.

Whenever Marina, Shelby, and Yulia got to the wall, they saw that every last rock was knocked down. Pearl was chilling out with the small group of Octolings while Lynn was nowhere to be found. Upon seeing this beautiful woman walking with Marina and Yulia, Pearl immediately stood up.

“Mama, this is my bandmate and one of my best friends, Pearl Houzuki! Pearlie, this is my mother, Shelby!” Marina introduced the two. Pearl looked flustered.

“How do you do?” Shelby asked politely, holding out her hand.

“I..yah...very well, thanks...Mrs.. Mrs. Marina’s Mom,” Pearl stuttered, taking her hand. What was she supposed to do?! The only mother that she had talked to in a long while was her own! Pearl didn’t have experience with moms!

“I see that Lynn got the wall knocked down. Where is she?” Marina asked.

“She’s pooped. She looked pretty bad whenever I last checked on her. Around twenty minutes ago, she went in the train to take a quick cat nap. You know that Lynn doesn’t sleep a lot. I think you’d be fine waking her up now,” Pearl replied, playfully nudging Yulia, who couldn’t stop her brain from replaying the encounter in the Salmonid Smokeyard. How the  _ hell _ did she mistake Tavi for one of her family members?! He was the exact  _ opposite _ ! Wrong species, wrong skin color, wrong hair color, wrong everything!

“Hang on, I’ll go wake her up. I hope she doesn’t try and bite me or something…” Marina mumbled with a nervous chuckle as she stepped onto the train. Lynn was curled up on the seat closest to the door, fast asleep. Pearl was right. She  _ did _ look pooped. Marina would feel pretty bad for waking her up, but it was necessary!

“Lynn...Lynn, baby, get up!” Marina said, gently shaking the Salmonling, who slapped her hands away and rolled over.

“Leimomi! You have to get up! My grandma is waiting for you to tell her the good news about her husband! You don’t want to let Grandpa Tavi down, do you?” Marina cried. After hearing that, Lynn immediately perked up, getting off the chair and stretching.

“I-I shouldn’t have done that entire wall in one sitting, Sis… I’m tired...and hungry…” Lynn mumbled.

“I know, Lynn. I know...but we’re almost done! You’ll be a hero! Everyone will love you!” Marina smiled, gently tugging Lynn out of the train. The Salmonling rubbed her eyes, jumping a bit as she looked at Shelby.

“Mama… This is Leimomi, better known as Lynn. She comes all the way from the Salmonid Islands. She was one of the reasons why I escaped to Inkopolis. She’s got a real passion for helping people,” Marina smiled. “Lynn, this is my mother, Shelby.”

“Hello, Lynn. I’d like to thank you for taking such good care of my father-in-law,” Shelby smiled.

“It is Tavi who took care of me, Mrs. Ida. He has been nothing but good to me. He was there whenever my mother died and my father deserted me. Mrs. Ida, I understand that he has made mistakes, but this does not mean that he cannot be forgiven,” Lynn said nervously.

“Of course. I have forgiven my husband. I have forgiven Marina. I...I have forgiven myself. I think that there’s enough forgiveness left in me to forgive him, too,” Shelby replied calmly. “Marina has told me that you have something very important to tell my mother-in-law. My younger children have called her to the house. It’s best you tell her in front of everyone.”

With that, Lynn joined the group, Pearl coming with them because she felt like doing so. 

“Y-Your mom’s really cool,” Pearl whispered into Marina’s ear as she carried Lynn, who was in her Salmonid form, inside her crown.

“I know she is,” Marina replied sassily.

“You...you think she’ll like me? I can be kinda annoying sometimes.”

“Pearlie, she  _ raised _ me. I assure you, I was about ten times worse than you. If you think that you can be annoying, ask her to tell you about me as a toddler,” Marina chuckled. 

“I hope that’s tr-.... LYNN! You’re sweatin’ all over my head! I didn’t even know that Salmonids  _ could _ sweat! They’re fish!” Pearl suddenly cried, yanking the Smallfry off of her head as she wiped it. Lynn couldn’t talk in this form, so she just let out a little squeak

“What’s she trying to say?” Marina asked.

“I don’t know. She’s probably giving me sass, even though I’m the one that’s trying to get her hooked up with MY BROTHER,” Pearl said, sticking her tongue out at the tiny, vulnerable Salmonid. Lynn went into a fuss of squeaks, so Pearl just plopped her back inside of her crown, where she could pout in peace. 

Whenever the five reached the house, Lynn hopped off of Pearl, turning back into her Salmonling form. It was up to her to tell this old woman that her husband that she had thought was dead for nearly  _ two decades _ was actually alive. She didn’t know how she was going to do it? Why did he make  _ her _ do it instead of Marina? He obviously saw some kind of potential in her that she couldn’t see just yet. 

As they walked into the house, they saw that the entire family was there, Mahi included. The elderly Octarian was sitting on Shelby’s chair, which someone had brought out of the room for her. The other Ida children were honestly pretty surprised to see Pearl and even more surprised at seeing Lynn. What...what  _ was _ she?

“Oh, Marina! Whenever Rio came and told me that you were alive, I nearly fell out of my seat! What are you standing there for?! Come and give your grandma a hug!” Mahi cried, Marina immediately running over and doing as she was told. Lynn was amazed! She was just as healthy and as spirited as Tavi was!

“Grandma Mahi! I’ve missed you so much! You haven’t aged a bit!” Marina giggled, Mahi slapping her back. “Oh, quit trying to flatter me, child! I’m out of my prime and we both know it.”

“A-Anyway...Grandma Mahi, this is one of my friends, Lynn. She has something very important that she wants to tell you. I guess it’s something important that she wants to tell all of you. All I ask is that no one interrupts her while she does it. If you have something to say, please say it afterward… Dad,” Marina said, looking to her father, “be nice. Don’t immediately swing the BS hammer.”

Octavio nodded. Everyone was looking at Lynn. She approached the elderly woman, who was looking at her excitedly.

“My goodness! A Salmonling! I haven’t seen one’a you in decades! Lynn, was it? That’s not a very tropical name,” Mahi said.

“W-Well, my real name is Leimomi, but whenever I was taken from the Islands and given to my father, he changed my name to Lynn. I-It’s a long story, but that is for a different time and a different place…”

“Of course. Now, what do you have to tell me that’s so important?”

“Mahi…your husband, Octavio...Tavi...he is not dead. He is alive,” Lynn said. All of the children were hit with yet another wave of shock, especially Dennis, who had sworn to never forgive his grandfather for what he had done. Octavio was going to call Lynn out, but Shelby gave him a firm elbow to the side, shutting him up.

“Before you tell me that I am a fool or that it could not possibly be him, he has shown me excellent proof. He has told me the story that led up to his attempted murder. He told me what he did after he had realized that he was not dead! Out of fear and guilt, he fled to Inkopolis, where he took refuge in the woods, where he set up camp and lived there for eighteen years. He had been deduced to only a rumor that parents tell their children to keep them out of the woods...however, there are some children who don’t listen, like myself.

I was one who had heard of this rumor and wanted to check it out for myself! I walked through the woods whenever I stumbled upon his camp. As soon as I saw him, I was filled with a strange love that I could not understand. Maybe it was because of my own father mistreating me when I was a child, but I’ll never know. As I met him more, he told me his story, and I realized that I could not let him live in the woods, by himself. I decided to let him live in my cabana with me; it was very small, but it was better than fending for himself in a small camp. Never in my life have I met such a better friend, Mahi! Tavi was there for me through my hardest times, including the death of my mother. He and Marina, who he recognized as soon as he saw her, were the ones who really pushed the Inklings to let you guys share Inkopolis with them. He is very much loved, even though he made mistakes in the past. 

Mahi, I’ve come to find you because he has requested me to find you and tell you that he is alive. Not only that, but after eighteen years, he is still in love with you. He still refers to you as  _ his darling Mahi. _ He loves you just as much as when you first married him. He calls me his rescuer, Mahi, but I honestly think that he is my rescuer. If it were not for Tavi, I would not have had the strength to come here…” Lynn finished, expecting Mahi to slap her across the face or start laughing. Instead, Mahi brought Lynn close to her.

“Oh, you… I always had a strange feeling inside of me...almost like something was trying to talk to me. My husband may have told you this, but after nearly fifty years, I feel as if we are one body more than two! I have no doubts in what you are saying, as I realize that this feeling was my husband trying to tell me that he was there for me! Oh, sweet Tavi! My dear...would you happen to have a picture of him?” Mahi asked, tearing up.

“I have some, Grandma Mahi!” Marina said, quickly pulling out her phone and scrolling through the pictures once more. The picture that she showed Mahi was different than the one that she had showed Shelby; this picture showed Tavi showing off a fish that Lynn had mounted for him.

“He really likes fishing, grandma. It’s pretty cute, actually,” Marina chuckled as Mahi wiped her eyes. “Yes...that’s my husband. That’s him! Kids, kids, come here! Come see your grandfather!”

The four children soon gathered around their grandmother, looking at the picture. Shelby and Octavio also decided to join their children. There was no denying that it was Tavi.

“That  _ is _ him! Are you seeing this, Octavio?!” Shelby asked, putting her arms around her husband. “I’m seein’ it. Don’t worry…” He mumbled.

Dennis looked the most emotional out of all of the children. “Dad… He’s just a regular old man! I don’t understand how he can live in the city and smile like that when he knows what he’s done to the Inklings!” He cried.

“He has lived by himself for eighteen years. He has had more than enough time to think about his actions. He has since realized that what he had done was wrong. We have forgiven him, just like that I think you all should. Just because someone goes through a few rough years doesn’t make them a bad person. T-Tavi has even adopted me as one of his grandchildren...as one of you!” Lynn smiled, still in Mahi’s embrace.

“If he did, then so will I!” Mahi cried.

“I-I just want to see him… I’m sure having him talk to me will make me want to forgive him, just judging by that smile…” Dennis replied, smiling. “I can’t hate someone who looks like that,” he added as his older sister put an arm around him.

Octavio stepped up, looking at the children. “Aight, I think it’s about time we step into action. Everyone should be awake now. Rina, Den, Sellie, Rio, Finny...y’all go and round everyone up, and I mean EVERYONE. Make sure you search every inch of this place, ya hear?”

All of his children nodded, three of them giving him a thumbs-up.

“Li’l Mama, you and your merry men can go round up your li’l buddies. As for the other two Mamas in this house,” he said, turning to his wife and mother, “You’re comin’ with me to the train.”

“Yes, sir,” Yulia replied, grabbing Pearl’s hand in one of hers and Lynn’s arm in the other. With that, everyone split up, doing the jobs that Octavio had assigned them.

“I can’t believe that we’re actually doing this! I’m so glad that you two decided to help me out! You’ll love my friends!” Yulia squealed as the three walked toward the Briney household. “I just have to warn you, Julien can be a little passionate sometimes,” she chuckled.

It was a relatively short walk to the house, and when they got there, Yulia knocked on the door. Julien, figuring that it was Yulia, answered it excitedly. She had brought yet another friend! A different looking one, too.

“Julien, hello! You’ve already met Pearl, but you haven’t met Lynn! She’s my boss’s daughter! The one that I’ve told a bunch of stories about,” Yulia smiled, Lynn blushing as Julien moved aside, letting the three in.

“Yeah. You’re the one with the crappy dad,” Julien replied, Giana rushing to see who her cousin was talking to. Myrtle had since left, presumably going back to the restaurant.

“Y-Yeah… H-He wasn’t the best, I’ll say that...but you guys don’t have to worry about that anymore. He ran off not too long ago,” Lynn shrugged, eyeing up some of the leftover food that Pearl hadn’t devoured earlier. It was cold, but still edible!

“Do you want some?” Marlene asked. “I can wash a bowl, if you’d like.”

“Bless you, lady. All I had was macaroni salad this morning. Knocking down those walls has taken all of the life out of me!” Lynn replied, her native accent showing as Marlene nodded, smiling.

“You knocked down those walls by yourself? That’s really impressive! You must have some nice muscles!” Giana said as her aunt handed Lynn an empty bowl, which Lynn filled to the brim.

“It’s not the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Whenever one of my darling friends hurt his ankle, I carried him for about six miles. And I’m still stuck in the friend zone…” Lynn said, mumbling the last part so no one could hear it. She didn’t care if she didn’t  _ like _ the food, she was famished! She scooped up a heaping portion, shoving it all in her mouth. It wasn’t very civil or ladylike, but she honestly wasn’t thinking about being proper at this point.

“Anyway…we came to get you guys! Octavio wanted the three of us to come and round you up! We’re gathering up all of Octo Canyon to get you into Inkopolis! Today  _ is _ the day! Freedom is just a short train ride away!” Yulia yelled excitedly, Pearl nodding.

“Already? You guys work really fast! Almost as fast as my sister!” Darlene joked. “We were just talking about what we were going to do whenever we got to the surface!”

“I-I honestly had no idea of my friends’ plan! I’m just as surprised as you are, Mrs. Darlene!” Yulia replied, chuckling.

After Lynn had finished the rest of the leftovers and had stuffed herself like a turkey, the family had decided that it was best that they get to the train. Now, keep in mind that the Octolings didn’t have suitcases. Why would they? They don’t travel! If the people wanted to take things, they had to carry it themselves unless they happened to have bags around. 

The family didn’t have much to begin with, so they figured that they would just take an outfit or two so they had more than two or three articles of clothing whenever they reached the surface. Luckily for them, Marlene had a medical bag and Darlene had her toolbox, which they were able to squeeze everyone’s clothes into.

“Yulia...you’re an angel. You’re so precious to me, and I hope you know that,” Julien said before he left the house, following his parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin to the train. Lynn, in her Salmonling form, was passed out on Pearl’s head. Pearl gave Yulia a joking look, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Oooh~ Looks like Yuls got a boyfriend,” she teased, Yulia rolling her eyes.

“H-He’s not my boyfriend! We may have spooned a few times, but nothing more!” Yulia blushed.

“Lynn would probably kill a man to be spooned,” Pearl replied with a chuckle, patting the sleeping Salmonid on her head. “So…do ya have any other friends that we need to get movin’?”

“I think that we need to get Myrtle! She’s in her restaurant, I think. She’s the one that made the food that you and Lynn ate.”

“Well, she’s already a friend’a mine, then! Lead the way, Yuls! Don’t worry about rushin’, either. We should let Lynn sleep for a bit,” Pearl said as the two walked off.

As Pearl and Yulia walked toward the restaurant, they saw that the Ida children were obviously doing their jobs. Many families were migrating toward the train, carrying whatever could fit in their hands. They had to give up nearly everything...yet no one looked sad! No one was complaining! If that were the Inklings, there would be mumbling and grumbling the whole way to the train, even if they  _ did _ know that they were going to a better place. To both of the Inklings, it was mind boggling.

Whenever they reached the restaurant, Myrtle was closing everything up. She...she was one who was truly losing  _ everything.  _ She only had two things with her, and it was the painting that she had made of Yulia and her family’s recipe book. Today was supposed to be a happy day, but...Yulia just felt so sad!

“Ayy, boobaloo... Why the long face? We’re gettin’ saved! No room for sadness here!” Myrtle cried happily, ruffling Yulia’s hair.

“Myrtle...you’re losing your restaurant, your equipment, everything! Whenever we get to Inkopolis, you’ll have to start over! It’s so sad, Myrtle! This is the part of freedom that I didn’t think about!  _ Everyone  _ is going to have to start over…”

“That may be true, but we’ll survive. We had to start over two years ago whenever our old home flooded. We’d have to start over anyway, bubba, since this place was just gonna flood, too. It’s not somethin’ to be sad about! We’re all just fine!” Myrtle giggled, hugging the sensitive Inkling.

With that, Myrtle left the group, going to the train, just like everyone else. Yulia took a minute or two to cool down, then she and Pearl soon followed. Whenever they reached the train, they saw that the three younger Ida children had already rounded up their section of the canyon and were standing with their parents and grandmother. Octo Canyon honestly had a pretty small population, so it didn’t take very long to get everyone rounded up. Still, Yulia wondered if Octolings existed elsewhere. They probably did, considering that Myrtle mentioned her family being from the Islands… Could they still be out there somewhere? Maybe Yulia was thinking too much about it. That’s something that she liked to do, as you may have noticed.

After a bit more waiting, the older Ida children returned and all of the canyon was rounded up. Seeing so many people all gathered in one place really hit Yulia. In this sea of faces, she couldn’t make out  _ any _ of her friends! The only people she recognized was the Wells family. Mrs. Wells, due to her disability, had priority. Her face still looked grim, but there was a hint of happiness that Yulia didn’t think that she’d ever seen in the sick woman. Whenever he was sure that all of the canyon was gathered, Octavio cleared his throat. The family retreated, as if they knew what was going to happen.

“Aight, y’all!” Octavio yelled, the sheer volume of his voice waking Lynn up and causing her to topple off of Pearl. “I know that y’all are excited, and I don’t blame ya! However, we gotta do this in a civilized manner!”

“When has  _ he  _ ever been civilized?” One of the Octolings joked, causing laughter. Octavio decided to ignore it.

“My kid’s gonna open up the train!” Octavio said as he shot a look at Marina, who grabbed Lynn and headed on board. “Oldsters, y’all go first! Parents with babies, y’all can follow ‘em!”

With that, the crowd shifted as Marina opened the door. Lynn, oar in hand, stood at the side, making sure people got to their seats. She also helped anyone who couldn’t get on the train. 

The elderly population of Octo Canyon honestly wasn’t a lot, so they got seated relatively quickly. Mahi wanted to wait and travel with the rest of the family, but Octavio insisted that she go. After all, Tavi was probably waiting for her.

“I’ll get off with you, Mahi. We’ll go and see him together,” Lynn said, gently holding the elder’s hand as the parents with babies and small children soon started to board the train. Surprisingly, the babies were actually pretty quiet.

Whenever the Wells family was to board, Lynn jumped out of the train. Since it was a pretty old train, there were no ramps for those in wheelchairs to board. Lynn grabbed the baby, lifting him up onto the train, then used her strength to pick up both Mrs. Wells and the wheelchair, lifting them up to reunite with the baby. Both of the parents seemed delighted, thanking her multiple times. Even the little one thanked her, obviously just copying what his parents said.

Eventually, the seats were filled, and it was decided that there was no need to pack everyone in, so they had decided to make the first trip. Lynn went to Marina to tell her the news.

“We’re all ready to go, Sis,” Lynn smiled. “If you don’t mind, you can make the next trip without me. I want to make sure that everything’s good with Tavi. Also, depending on the boat speed, Yulia’s parents might be here. I want to explain everything to them so they’re not flipping out on me.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure Pearl would be willing to help load people,” Marina smiled as she closed the door. With that, the train was off! Cheering was heard from both the crowd and the people inside of the train. It filled Lynn with a newfound sense of worth, and she could tell that Marina was absolutely elated.

“Never in my life would I have imagined that I’d be standing next to you, watching you drive a subway full of old people and babies to Inkopolis,” Lynn chuckled as the train was on its way to Inkopolis.

“I can’t believe it, either. I can’t believe that a plot to save Callie would turn into  _ this, _ ” Marina replied with a huge smile. 

After the train ride was over and it was finally stopped, the door opened once again. Lynn made her way down, helping people and taking care of Mrs. Wells once more. The light of Inkopolis shone above like heaven’s rays. There was a clamoring of voices, both young and old. The Inklings...they had come to help!

By the time Mahi had gotten off of the train, the people were starting to flood into the city. She was the last one to exit, and the door slammed behind her as Marina circled around, going to pick up the next batch of people. Mahi grabbed Lynn’s hand, and together, the two made their way into the city.

What Lynn saw made her want to cry. Probably because of Tavi, the Inklings had decided to come and help out the Octarians as much as they could. For the first time in decades, the Inklings were helping the Octarians out, socializing with them and trying to get them situated! There was joy all around, and it was something that Lynn had never thought she would see. 

Making his way through the crowd, however, was Tavi. As he and Mahi had laid eyes on each other, it seemed as if time had stopped. These two people had been one for almost fifty years...and for almost twenty of those, they had been separated. Seeing each other had rekindled the flame, which was now burning bright. At that moment, the eighteen years that they had been apart felt like absolutely nothing.

Whenever Lynn felt time resume, Mahi full-on ran toward her husband, the two sharing a strong embrace. The two constantly kissed each other, referring to each other by every pet name that they could muster up. Lynn told herself that she wouldn’t cry...but as soon as they had touched each other, she was bawling.

“K-Kahuna…” Lynn, who was now on her knees, sobbed as the elderly couple had finally made their way toward her.

“My darling Lynn, why are you on the ground? Get up!” Tavi chuckled, offering a hand. Lynn took it, the old man wiping tears from her eyes.

“You’ve paid my ransom. You’re freeing my people. You’ve reunited me with my wife. How can I ever thank you?” He asked.

“Kahuna… There was no ransom to be paid! You have already thanked me in every way. You’ve shown me what it’s like to be loved. Whenever my mother died, I felt as if no one was able to love me. I felt so lonely, so abandoned...but you rescued me, Tavi. Even if we do not see each other again, I will always love you for that. As I said, I do not know what having a grandfather is like, but you will always be my grandfather...if not my father,” Lynn replied, Tavi leaning down and kissing her cheek.

“Lynn… I am not stupid enough to abandon you, you silly girl! I have already accepted you into my family, and so has my wife. I want to give you what you were never able to have growing up. Just because I have grandchildren does not mean that I’m disowning you!” Tavi explained, wiping tears from Lynn’s eyes once again.

“I’m with him on this one. You’ve treated Marina so well. I can see your passion just from looking into your eyes. You may not think it, but you’re very easy to love,” Mahi replied, also embracing Lynn. Lynn...had grandparents! No! She...she had parents again! Speaking of parents…

“Tavi, did the chief come yet?” Lynn asked whenever she had calmed herself down. She wasn’t worried about the chief, she was worried about Yulia’s parents!

“In fact, he did! He had two Inklings on his ship. They took him and his officials to their house,” Tavi smiled.

“Okay! I need to go and talk to the Inklings! I know them! I’ll be right back!” Lynn replied, running off. Luckily, Lynn knew where the Tentatek family lived. Even if she missed the next group of Octarians, it was okay. The third and final trip would be the one that Yulia was on.

The Tentatek household was a bit of a walk, but Lynn didn’t seem to mind. Once she reached the isolated mansion, she pretty much pounded on the door. To her utter delight, Mrs. Tentatek answered.

“Oh, Lynn! How nice it is to s-”

“YULIA’S IN OCTO CANYON!” Lynn shrieked, as Mr. Tentatek, who had come to see Lynn, happened to hear her.

“What on earth is she doing there? Is she all right?!” Yulia’s mother asked.

Lynn had then mustered out the whole story of Callie, saving the Octarians, and the current situation. Because of how emotional she was, she constantly switched between the Inkling and Salmonling languages, which made one of the Salmonling chief’s officials have to translate. Both of Yulia’s parents were surprised, but this surprise seemed to turn into pride as they heard of their daughter’s actions.

“Oh, Yuls… She always was a sensitive little one. This seems exactly like something that she would do…” Mr. Tentatek gushed. “I just wish we were there for her more… We didn’t exactly expect a hurricane to hit us…”

“The past is behind you, Mr. Tentatek, but Yulia thinks that you guys have died. I would really like it if you would be there to surprise her whenever she got off of the train,” Lynn panted.

“Of course...but wouldn’t you like to meet with the chief? He’s very proud of you,” Mrs. Tentatek smiled.

“No time, Mrs. Tentatek! I have all the time in the world to meet with him!” Lynn said. Mrs. Tentatek then explained what was going on to the Salmonlings, who were actually pretty understanding.

As Yulia’s parents were making their way to the station, Lynn decided that she was going to make one more stop. She went down to Camp Triggerfish, going into Yulia’s cabin and grabbing Pooky from his tank. The little Salmonid seemed frightened at first, but whenever Lynn explained to him what was going on, his little face turned into one of pure delight. Finally, she made her way back to Inkopolis, a sweaty, tired mess.

Back in Octo Canyon, the second trip had long since departed. The rest of his family was on the train, but Julien wasn’t going to abandon Yulia. After all that the two had went through, he wasn’t going to leave and go to the promised land without her. 

“I-I can’t believe that they’re actually going to be free! I’m going to be free in a short while! You’re to blame for all of it, Yuls. I-It’ll be kinda weird having an entire bed to myself, honestly,” the boy chuckled as the two sat, separated from the rest of the group. Before they were freed, they wanted to spend one last moment together.

“I’m not the only one responsible, you know,” Yulia smiled. “Without people like you and your folks, I would have never gotten through. If your father wouldn’t have pitied me, I would have surely been killed by the Octo Samurai.”

The moment seemed to be right, and both Julien and Yulia were thinking the same thing. Slowly, they took each other’s hands, leaned in, and shared a kiss. It was pretty awkward and innocent, but both parties seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.

“I-I...I love you, Yulia Tentatek…” Julien mumbled. Yulia didn’t say anything, instead choosing to kiss him again.

Before the two could express their adoration any further, they heard the screech of the train. Knowing that it was their turn to go to Inkopolis, they walked back to the rest of the group, hand-in-hand.

Whenever they got back, the last of the regular folk were boarding the train. Then, the Ida family, Pearl, and the two of them got onto the train. This was it. Octo Canyon would be but memories.

Yulia was seated close to Octavio and Shelby, so she overheard a lot of their conversation. Shelby was noticeably nervous.

“What are they going to say, Octavio? They haven’t seen me! They haven’t seen you! They haven’t seen the children!” Shelby cried, her husband holding her small hands in his gigantic ones.

“Oh, stop worryin’, Mama. They’re gonna love you. It’s me that you should be worryin’ about. I’m pretty sure that your sister’s gonna punch me in the gut for what I did to her. Your folks are gonna hate  _ me _ , not you,” Octavio replied.

“Oh, please. My family doesn’t hold grudges. I doubt that Callie even told them what really happened. As soon as they see the children, anything negative that they feel towards you will be washed away. I’m the one that betrayed them…” Shelby replied.

The conversation went on, but it promptly ended whenever the train came to a halt. It was time. Yulia and Julien decided that they would be the last two to exit the train.

Whenever everyone had gotten off, the two stepped off the train. “Julien…” Yulia mumbled.

“Yeah, Yuls?”

“You said that you wanted me to carry you into Inkopolis… I don’t know if it was a metaphorical thing or not, but…” Yulia said, suddenly scooping Julien up in her arms, carrying him bridal-style.

“YULIA!” Julien yelled, holding onto Yulia as tightly as possible. The positioning was awkward, considering that he was taller than her, but he had faith in her. Trembling, Yulia walked up the ramp, carrying Julien across the border and into the city.

Seeing Inkopolis was fascinating for the Inkling...she had nearly forgotten what it looked like! However, the real happiness that Yulia felt was looking at Julien’s face. As she put him down, his eyes started to sparkle and shine.

“Yulia...it’s better than I imagined! It’s beautiful! It’s wonderful! It’s...my home!” Julien cried, constantly looking around the city and trying to take it all in at once. Yulia was in a state of euphoria...until she heard someone calling her name.

Whenever Yulia saw her parents, she felt...sick. She felt like she was in a dream that she was going to wake up from. She looked to one side, where she saw Shelby, Callie and Octavio with Mareanie and Albert, as well as Tavi and Mahi. The sisters were holding hands, and Shelby was introducing the children to their grandparents. She looked to the other side and saw Lynn, who was holding her beloved little Pooky, talking to Pearl’s family.

Looking in the center once again, she saw her parents standing there. They slowly walked toward her, and she couldn’t support herself. She toppled to the ground, her mother embracing her. All three of them were an emotional mess.

“I-I thought you were dead!” Yulia sobbed, wrapping her arms around both of her parents, who knelt to embrace her.

“Oh, little Yulia… If it wasn’t for the Salmonlings and the western Islanders, we probably would have been! It all happened so fast...but we’re here now,” Yulia’s mother cooed as Julien smiled, going to find his own family. Lynn had looked behind her to see this tender moment, smiling. Lynn knew that Yulia deserved this after how Mr. Grizz had treated her.

Whenever Yulia finished the long embrace with her parents, she walked to Lynn, taking her beloved Salmonid from her.

“Oh, ho! Who do we have here?” Yulia’s father asked her, playfully petting the Salmonid. The Tentatek family loved their fish, and Pooky was no exception.

“This is Pooky! He’s a baby Salmonid! I found him one day and decided to take it in, considering how much I know about Salmonids,” Yulia smiled, her father ruffling her hair.

“He’s going to grow up to be a Steelhead, Yuls! Whenever I was feedin’ him, I took some time to look him over. Definitely a baby Steelhead,” Lynn smiled as Marina, who had separated from the group, pulled both her and Pearl into a giant bear hug. 

“Really? I should have known!” Yulia giggled, still holding onto her parents as she turned to Marina. “How’s everything going with your family, Marina?”

“It’s going very well! There’s no hard feelings anywhere, honestly. Everyone’s been introduced to each other. Everyone has forgiven each other...as soon as Dennis saw grandpa, he started crying. Really hard. I know that he had some mixed feelings about him, but he’s set them aside. Speaking of my grandpa...he’d like to meet you,” Marina smiled. Finally leaving her parents, Yulia went over to the Ida family.

As Tavi turned around to look at her, it sent a chill down her spine. Not that he was intimidating or anything… Just after seeing him at the Salmonid Smokeyard, his face made her jump a bit.

“Well, well, well! So this is the one that my grandchildren have been talking my ear off about? Though, young lady, I have a feeling that this isn’t our first time seeing each other,” Tavi smiled. All of the Ida kids waved to Yulia, a newfound happiness on all of their faces.

“Of course. I’ve heard many wonderful things about you as well. I’m glad that we’re able to share this moment,” Yulia replied politely, the old man giving an even bigger smile. All was well.

As it was still relatively early, a lot of the day was spent trying to get the Octarians proper housing, even if it wasn’t permanent. The Inklings had handed out the money that they had raised during the concert to some of the lower-income families, and though it was time consuming, they somehow managed to get everyone situated. It was also during this time that Lynn gave up her cabana, moving in with Marina, who was elated to have a roommate. The rest of the day was spent celebrating the heroines that managed to work together to get the Octarians free.

Above all, Yulia was the one whom the Octarians had the closest attachment to. She had lived among them for so long, risking her life to save them...when in all honesty, she wouldn’t have cared if she died. Even if her parents hadn’t come back from the Islands, she wouldn’t have minded. She’d already reunited so many families, and that was enough for her.

The little Inkling was recognized by both Inkling and Octoling, too! Callie, despite being much older than her, actually became one of her FRIENDS! Her idol actually noticed her! Not only that, but she and Marie took a selfie with her! That was something that she could only dream of! As if being friends with both members of Off the Hook wasn’t enough! Pearl and Marina chuckled at her childishness, enjoying seeing their friend this happy. She wouldn’t have to worry about getting hurt anymore. She could live with her parents again. She had friends, too! She wouldn’t be by herself!

If there was someone who stayed out of the celebration, it was Lynn. She had decided to take Pooky back to the Tentatek household and get him situated. It wasn’t that she didn’t like celebrating, it was just that she felt as if she would almost be recognized  _ too _ much if she let the Inklings and Octolings praise her. Having the chief Salmonling anoint you as a hero isn’t something that every Salmonling goes through.

As Lynn reached the Tentatek household, she forgot that the chief and his officials were actually  _ in _ there. She almost jumped seeing them, but bowed in respect.

“Are the celebrations over already? Is it time for us to come out?” Chief Keahilani asked in the Salmonling language. He was a very small, skinny old man who had honestly seen better years, but he was still very much alive and lively.

“No, sir. They are still celebrating the other three. I don’t care to join them,” Lynn replied. “In fact, I do not think that I deserve to be called a heroine, sir. I would very much appreciate it if we skipped the ceremony.”

“Why on earth would I do that? You have done enough in my eyes, Leimomi. Do you not want your friends to see you anointed?”

“ _ Ali’i, _ I have done the least of all of them. I do not deserve this. I know that you only anoint Salmonlings, but my friends are the one that should be anointed. I have only lent my strength.”

“Now, Leimomi,” Keahilani said, looking the Salmonling in the eyes, “truth be told, it is not only your actions that I am pleased with, it is your attitude. Throughout this whole endeavor, you have remained hardworking. You have gotten into arguments and disagreements, but you have kept your friendships. I have been told about it. Your mother wrote to me not long before her death.”

“I watched over that woman like a hawk! That is impossible!” Lynn replied.

“Leimomi, we Salmonlings have strange ways of working. You will surely discover that about yourself someday,” the chief replied with a smile, one of his officials pulling out a rather large sack.

“Now, Leimomi, inside of here is your outfit, handmade by my wife and daughter. As you know, we Salmonlings always have portraits painted of our anointed ones before the ceremony. I have chosen one of the fastest artists I have. Go on, put the Steelhead down and get dressed! I know that your friends will be pleased with you,” the chief smiled. With another bow, Lynn quickly put Pooky in one of the tanks, where he quickly made his home, and rushed into the bathroom, changing into her outfit.

**********

Night was starting to fall, the fireflies, Lynn’s second favorite animal, were out, and it was finally time for the ceremony. It would be held in the square, where anyone who wanted to watch could easily see her. The Salmonling had just had her portrait painted and was following the chief and his officials to the site. The Salmonlings had set up in advance; torches were lit, the area was properly decorated, and the sacred seat in which the heroine would sit was placed in the center.

Those close to Lynn were given spots in the front row, to the Salmonling’s delight  _ and _ dismay. She was delighted that she got to see Marina’s reaction, for example...but she also had to look her love interest straight in the eyes as she sat down. She was a nervous wreck. The sweat was already getting to her and she wasn’t even  _ there _ yet.

Lynn was certainly making Salmonling history, that’s for sure. In their thousands of years of existing, Lynn was the first female Salmonling that was being anointed as an elite, which just frightened her even more! Though, she hoped that she could set an example for many young Salmonlings, male and female.

There was about five minutes left until the ceremony started, and Yulia felt a hand on her shoulder and heard an all-too-familiar voice. “Oi, Yuls,” this voice said as the Inkling turned around. It was Scrap!

“Oh, Scrap!” Yulia giggled, hugging the Salmonling boy. “Did you come to watch the ceremony?”

“Well, kinda. I also came to tell ya goodbye.”

“Goodbye?”

“Yeah. With ol’ Grizz’s business closin’, we’re not really needed anymore. Our Eggs are safe now. Since I’m not positioned in Inkopolis anymore, the chief wants me to head back to the Islands. Once I get there, my family’s gonna help get me a wife. I’m gonna get married off.”

“Married off?!” Yulia gasped. “I-I guess you  _ are  _ nineteen… You’re one of the lucky ones. You guys reach marriageable age at sixteen, don’t you?”

“Yep, it’s sixteen. We just  _ gotta _ have kids, y’know?”

“I don’t really understand, but I’ll pretend like I do. Scrap, I-I hope you’re happy in the end… You deserve to be happy.”

“You too, Yuls. But hey...you’ll still see me during the ceremony! I’m leavin’ with the chief tonight, though. I just wanted to spend my last few moments here with you, considering that you were always an Inkling that didn’t try to bash my skull in,” he chuckled. The two stood together until they heard the chief’s officials let out a cry, signaling that the ceremony was starting. Then, Scrap backed up, watching from a distance.

The chief’s officials walked in first, lining up along the path that the torches had created. As the chief walked to the right hand of the hero’s seat, all of the officials bowed. Then, Lynn walked into view. Marina’s eyes popped. Pearl almost fell over.

Lynn was completely decked out. For once, her hair was out of its signature ponytail, flowing, not accented by any kind of hair accessory. Her regular silver hoop earrings were replaced with pearls. Lynn was wearing her black, sleeveless top that she wore with all of her Salmonling skirts, but she was wearing some interesting neckwear. First and foremost, draped around her shoulders was an open lei made of leaves, which went down to her hips. Secondly, she wore two purple flower leis, one long, one short. The long lei went town to the bottom of her breasts while the short one barely touched the top of them. Thirdly, she wore her shark-tooth necklace, which overlapped the leis. Finally, she wore a pearl choker to decorate her neck. Around her wrists and ankles were kupe’e, decorated with pearls. Her skirt was a rich purple color, decorated with embroidery of stripes and fish. She wore her favorite pearl belt, which was sloped around her bare stomach to show off her birthmark.

“Oh, my baby!” Yulia heard Marina cry as Lynn made her way down to the chair, taking her seat. There was obvious nervousness in her eyes...almost like she didn’t want to be sitting here.

“Leimomi Akela Kai Kawai, from the tribe of Hoapili...you know why you are here,” the chief said, in the Inkling language. Usually the ceremonies were done in the Island language, obviously, but few people watching actually knew that language. “You are here because of your incredible actions in helping bring peace and unity to Inkopolis once more. You donated your strength to knock down the walls in which were supposed to be unbreakable. Because of your time and devotion, I believe that you are to be recognized as one of my elites and as a hero,” Keahilani said, Lynn thanking him as one of his officials handing him some kind of ceramic pot.

Lynn bowed her head, and the chief sprinkled some kind of liquid on her head. He explained that it was sea water mixed with flowers native to the Islands, which gave it a lovely, fragrant smell. Some of these flowers were especially reserved for anointed ones, so this made it even more special. 

Usually, this would be the part of the ceremony where the anointed one’s family members would speak about their relative, but as Lynn didn’t have any family around her, the ceremony would  _ technically _ be over, except...the chief wanted to ask her one more question.

“Now, Leimomi… I am going to ask you a question. Please listen to me very carefully,” Keahilani said. Lynn nodded.

“I do not do this very often...but I am going to give you a choice. Your first option is to return to the Islands with me. If you return to the Islands, you will surely have a good life. You can live with your grandparents until you marry. There are many people who wish to take you as a wife. If you are to marry in the Islands, your marriage will be valid and legal, just as expected. You will able to fulfill every Salmonling’s purpose in life and have children to keep the population thriving.

Your second option, however, is to stay here, where you seem to be living a good life. However, it  _ does _ have its downsides. You will always be able to travel to the Islands, but you will not have any family close to you. If you do marry someone who is not a Salmonling, it will not be considered legal in the Islands. You will never be able to reproduce if you stay here...but you will keep your friends.

The choice is yours, Leimomi. Do what you think is best for you. I will give you time to think about it,” the chief said. Lynn had thought about this before, but she was still flustered. She didn’t know what to do!

After all of those talks with Marina, she was still conflicted! She wanted to make her mother happy, but she didn’t want to leave everyone! She...she had so many people she loved! She’d have to leave the Sisterhood...she’d never have a chance with Emperor...she would have to leave Tavi and Mahi! Though...in Inkopolis, it wasn’t guaranteed that she would marry! Even if she  _ did _ have children, she didn’t exactly have to involve herself… She could just be like her own father… No! Absolutely not! Lynn...Lynn had made up her mind.

“ _ Ali’i _ , I appreciate what you and the rest of the Salmonlings have done for me, and will be thankful forever...but I must stay here, in Inkopolis. I have found my family here. I understand that I will not be living a  _ full _ Salmonling life, but it is enough for me,” Lynn said, looking her crush straight in the eyes as she said the last part. His expression made her shiver.

“Very well. Congratulations, Leimomi,” the chief said. The officials let out another cry, and the ceremony ended in applause. The crowd scattered, the Salmonlings starting to clean up, ready to depart back to the Islands. Pearl, Marina, Lynn, and Yulia regrouped.

“You look beautiful, Lynn. Make sure to take really good care of that outfit,” Marina smiled, holding one of Lynn’s hands. She was crying once again.

“The way my bro looked at you...you’re closer to gettin’ laid than you’ve ever been. You gave up everything for his dumb ass and looked him straight in the face while ya did it,” Pearl chuckled.

“I-It wasn’t all for him. It was for all of us. It was for myself. After doing what I did for the Octarians, I’ve realized that I was meant to be here. I was meant to be one of you guys. I was meant to start a life here, now that I’m free… When I was a child, I dreamed of finding my own family...but now I have found it. I have parents, sisters…and perhaps someday, a lover. Emperor… Still, I dream he'll come to me… That we will live the years together...” Lynn sniffed.

With that, the four girls put their arms around each other, looking up into the night sky. The stars were brighter than they had ever been. The Octarians were free. The tides had truly changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, guys, I can't believe that this story is actually over! I honestly had a blast writing this! I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it! Take care! Buh-bye!


End file.
